Now is the time of year when everyone is making strides to improve their lives and better themselves. While betterment is always a good thing, sometimes I feel like this time of year sets people up to feel like failures when they miss a couple of trips to the gym after resolving to go every day or they eat fries instead of a salad at lunch.
That is why this year my resolution is to be kinder than necessary. Not only to others, but to myself as well.
- Be kind to others. We’ve all heard this cautionary phrase, “You never know what another person is dealing with until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” We never really know what is on the path that others are walking. Your best friend may be struggling with something she can’t bring herself to talk about and that is why she forgets your birthday. Your co-worker maybe dealing with the break-up of a marriage and that is why he is making errors in his reports. The clerk at the grocery store has probably been standing all day, so forgive them if they are less than enthusiastic, they may have a long day ahead of them.
- Be kind to yourself. We live in a world that is always telling us we aren’t good enough. That we’d be better if we were cleverer, thinner, had straighter hair, made more money, or had done this instead of that. That is all nonsense. Who you are is enough. What you bring to this world is valuable. Stop beating yourself for texting an ex, skipping the gym, or making the wrong decision. When that inner monologue starts that seems to say nothing but “You don’t work hard enough. You aren’t pretty enough. You should have done this instead. You’re not good at your job and you’re going to get fired.” STOP! Imagine your best friend saying those things about herself. Would you let her get away with putting herself down? Of course not. You know why? Because it’s not true. You know how hard you work. You know that you beautiful, smart and have a lot to offer. Be kind and remind yourself of that all year long.
Criggerpalooza! 
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