Why self-compassion will help you achieve your goals
Here's something I wish we were all taught in school:
Being critical towards yourself makes it harder to achieve your long-term goals.
That then becomes something we further weaponize against ourselves, believing that our struggles indicate that there's something wrong with us. That couldn't be further from the truth. What's wrong is the way we are treating ourselves, because we are doing something that is completely, utterly counterproductive to long-term achievement and sustainable motivation.
Studies show that self-criticism is connected to:
Rumination
Stress
Procrastination
Maladaptive perfectionism
Fear of looking foolish
Fear of failure
A need to protect your self-image
Struggling to ask for help
Do you think any of these are helpful for achieving your goals?
Sure, they can give you a short burst of fuel. But it's painful to dra, sputters out quickly, and burns you along the way. The more you draw upon criticism as your source of fuel, the more you end up hurting yourself and your pursuits.
Here's a far more sustainable source of fuel: self-compassion.
It will not only help you to go further, but to do it in a healthier and happier way. Self-compassion is linked to better emotional regulation, self-awareness, resilience, belief in yourself, increased motivation after mistakes and setbacks, and the ability to maintain perspective.
It’s also so much better for your mental health. When you practice self-compassion, you're supporting yourself at every step of the journey, turning it into an enjoyable and meaningful experience — a stark contrast to self-criticism's journey that's draining, misery-inducing, and unfulfilling.
