“If you had a friend who talked to you like you sometimes talk to yourself, would you continue to hang around with that person?” — Rob Bremer, Speaker

Good morning!  On a scale of 1 to 10… How would you rate yourself on this statement… “I am a good friend.”  Most of us rate ourselves high; we pride ourselves on being reliable and supportive.

Next question, on a scale of to 10, how would rate yourself on this statement, “I am a good friend to myself.”

Many of us stumble on question two. We demand things of ourselves that we would not demand of others. We criticize ourselves with harsh words that we would never say to a friend. While we forgive our friends shortcomings, we belittle ourselves for our shortcomings. We build friends up, we knock ourselves down.

How wonderfully our lives would change if we would treat ourselves with the same kindness, thoughtfulness, encouragement and forgiveness we show our friends.

Your Turn: Today, each time you have a thought directed toward yourself, ask– is this a thought I would share with a friend in the same situation? If the answer is no, replace it with the type of kindness and encouragement you would show a friend. When we learn to be a better friend to ourselves, we in turn become a better friend to others.

Today’s Affirmation: I treat myself with kindness, respect and encouragement just as I would my best friend.