The Reall Deal
The Importance of Compassion
By Scott Reall
Anytime that we are in the process of training for something or attempting to make a lifestyle change – anything we’re trying to change … we need to have compassion for ourselves. Dr. Patrick Carnes, a leader in the world of working with addictions, believes it’s the most important part of our efforts to change. Because what Dr. Carnes knows is the same thing that many of you know … days that you don’t feel like training or you cant because of your schedule or you simply can’t muster up the motivation, you wont walk this out perfectly.
You will have days that you wont meet your goals. We mess up. Daily “slips” add up and before you know it, guilty feelings wash over you and you believe that the best thing to do is give up. Just quit. This is where the ability to have compassion toward ourselves is so very critical. Our ability to successfully stay the course when we begin to falter.
What compassion provides is the ability to give myself permission to start over – to get right back in there and work my program. To not beat myself up. We have to refuse to go there. Any time that you step back in is a victory. Sometimes the most difficult steps are the ones where we move back toward our goals … admitting we’ve blown it. We’ve messed up. It’s okay. It’s a process. More importantly, YOU are okay. Give yourself permission to make mistakes. It is not about the finish lines … it’s about the process. The process is what God will use to transform you.
