Susan A. David, Ph.D., is a Harvard Medical School psychologist and TED speaker who reminds us that feeling strong emotions are just a part of being human. She studies how our emotions shape our experience and has found that people who possess greater levels of self compassion remain motivated and are more successful over time.
The journey towards fostering more self-compassion:
- Notice the difficult thoughts and do not suppress them. Allow them to exist and flow through. For example, if you are sad about something, explore your emotions by examining and inquiring – What is the root cause of this sadness? What can I learn from this sadness? Why is it important?
- We are imperfect people. Accept all failures and shortcomings thereby creating space to experiment and take risks. You may be frustrated with work, for example. Is your sense of frustration pointing you to what’s truly important to you?
- Learn from the experience and change course for the next time.
