Episode 158: What is Self-Compassion with Gary Ritts

<span style='font-weight: 400;'>The self-help industry is FULL of concepts that are meant to inspire you into a better version of yourself—go big or go home, love yourself, rewrite your past—but what happens when they’re overused and lose all their meaning? How can they then motivate you to live happier and more fulfilled?  </span> <p><em><span style='font-weight: 400;'>And what about self-compassion? </span></em></p> <p><span style='font-weight: 400;'>I remember reading Tara Brach’s book,</span> <em><span style='font-weight: 400;'>Radical Acceptance,</span></em> <span style='font-weight: 400;'>where she tells a story about a woman’s mother who was dying. On her deathbed, the mother opened her eyes and said, “You know, all my life I thought something was wrong with me. What a waste.” </span></p> <p><span style='font-weight: 400;'>I can still remember where I was when I read that line. At that time self-compassion was NOT a part of my life. In fact, it was the exact opposite: I believed something was wrong with me and I was constantly looking for the fix. Kind of the opposite of self-love and self-compassion.</span></p> <p><span style='font-weight: 400;'>The bright side is that one line prompted my quest to figure out what self-compassion was and how it looked for</span> <em><span style='font-weight: 400;'>me</span></em><span style='font-weight: 400;'>. It was a cautionary tale—and I swore I would figure out a way to be kinder to myself.</span></p> <p><span style='font-weight: 400;'>In today’s episode, I’m bringing you a conversation with my childhood minister, Gary Ritts. We started our conversation with self-compassion and went down a number of avenues beyond it into grace, empathy, Brene Brown, sympathy, loving relationships, and kindness. </span></p> <p><span style='font-weight: 400;'>This is one of my favorite episodes I have ever recorded and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.</span></p> <p><strong>Listen to the full episode to hear:</strong></p> <ul> <li style='font-weight: 400;'><span style='font-weight