I was in my favorite boxing class recently and the instructor asked everyone to make some noise. It was a sad “woohoo”. A few minutes later, she asked everyone to make noise for somebody else in the room, and the room erupted. The energy was palpable. Why is it so easy for us to cheer for others, yet so challenging for us to cheer for ourselves?

It reminded me of a statement my friend recently said, “if I spoke the way to others the way I speak to myself, I’d have no friends.” It’s clear that self-compassion, or lack thereof, is such a prevalent topic so many people struggle with these days.

Remember the “golden rule” you learn in kindergarten - "Treat others the way you want to be treated"? It seems that as adults, we need to reverse it and "treat yourself the way you treat others."