Hey team, welcome to Monday! If you didn't already know, ​​​​yesterday was World Kindness Day -- a day to celebrate the positive and unifying power of kindness and remind us that kindness is for every day and everyone - including you.

We know it's cool to be kind, but being kind to yourself is just as important as being kind to others. Kindness starts within you.

What do you appreciate about yourself and your life? Write it down.

Be your own friend

We know what kindness and compassion are from the perspective of how we treat others, but wouldn't it be nice to take the same approach with ourselves? 

Kristin Neff, one of the world’s leading experts on self-compassion, describes self-compassion as "the capacity to give ourselves the same kindness and care that we’d give to a good friend.” Kristen and colleagues have identified three main components of self-compassion:

#1 Mindfulness. This means leaning into uncomfortable feelings, rather than pretending they aren't there.​

#2 Self-kindness. Showing yourself kindness as you would a loved one.

#3 Common humanity. Understanding that you are not alone in your struggles - we all experience challenging times.

These three components are a recipe for bringing more self-compassion into your life. Kristin says that with self-compassion "we motivate change from a sense of care." It’s encouragement and support as opposed to criticism and judgement, to motivate us to learn, grow and improve. And it’s a lot more effective.

​​​​​When we practice self-compassion we are tapping into our humanness and creating space for compassion and empathy for others - allowing leaders to create stronger connections and build a supportive team culture.

Remember to be a good friend to yourself and in the wise words of The Dalai Lama - "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."

How will you be kind to yourself this week?

Love your Mondays.