Those moments when you feel you least deserve compassion are likely the moments when you need it most. The moments when you feel most disappointed, most ashamed, pour that compassion on thick. Drench yourself in compassion. You deserve it.
Even in those moments when you feel most unkind, least beautiful, most impatient, least connected, most unloveable, least deserving, most judgmental, you still deserve compassion. Give yourself that gift. You have the power, the authority to do this.
You may feel resistance. You may even protest and put up a fight. Pause. Take a breath, and just try. If you really hate it, you can stop, but just try. You may find that adding love instead of further aggression actually helps. Then you can move forward from that place of love and undoubtedly inspire thoughts, words, and actions that make you feel proud and beautiful, connected and light.
We sometimes seem to think that if we shame and scold ourselves we’ll get a better outcome next time. Shame, regret, anger — these things never inspire love. Love begets love. You can break the cycle by pausing, touching in on the undying flame of compassion we each hold in our hearts, and proceeding from there.
“Without loving-kindness for ourselves it is difficult, if not impossible, to genuinely feel it for others.” — Pema Chödrön
Krystal Barschig 