Be gentle toward yourself, friend.
Be kind.
Be wise.
Be brave.

Is the criticism you have been showing toward your partner and loved ones is simply a reflection of the inner critic you have toward yourself?

If you find yourself saying to your partner, “What is wrong with you?” or “You can never get it right.” or “You should be ashamed of yourself!” Take a moment to notice when the last time you heard those words spoken to you.

• Was it when you forgot something on the counter and were already on the road?

• How about when you hit “send” before you added the intended attachment or misspelled a word?

• Maybe it was how someone spoke to you in a previous relationship or even as a child?

Whenever it was, be gentle toward yourself.
Turn toward yourself with compassion and create the space to forgive your mistakes and use them as information and feedback.

Once you take a more gentle approach toward yourself, exercising this skill with others is simply an overflow of what has already occurred internally.