I can’t remember the exact conversation, but I’m reminded about grace. The main conclusion was that we should give ourselves grace during challenging times.
Instead of beating ourselves up about perceived mistakes we might have made, we should be kind and gentle with ourselves, like a nurturing mother would a child.
I found it a challenge to follow this advice when I first heard it years ago. My parents believed in tough love, so there wasn’t a lot of grace. There was motivation and inspiration, and there wasn’t any room for mistakes.
Deprogramming the need to demand perfection and giving myself grace during difficult times took a lot of time. It wasn’t easy to break a habit encoded in your operating system for over forty years, but I did manage to do it.
That isn’t to say that I don’t fall back into bad habits sometimes, but I can recognize it for what it is and not take it to heart. Self-awareness is a beautiful thing, and it has allowed me to give myself grace through experiences I would have beaten myself up for in the past.
When you practice giving yourself grace and being gentle and kind to yourself, you’ll find it easier to give others the same. Just like when you start practicing positive thinking, you’re eager to help people discover the silver linings in their experiences. Similarly, you may inspire others to practise grace with themselves and others. ❤️