Courage to be Kind, Gentleness

How glad I am for the following reading in today's CTC, which is another lesson in gentleness, or being good to myself:

I have heard that the time to be gentle with myself is not when I am doing well, but when I am doing poorly. I may be able to push myself hard when things are going my way, but I invite trouble if I try this when I am trying to manage the basic activities of my life.  

I used to worry that if I didn't push myself all the time, I would turn into a slug and nothing would get done. But my Fourth Step inventory showed me that the opposite is true. I tend to be hard on myself, so hard at times that I make my own life unmanageable, even painful. As a result, I often accomplish less than I would if I took a more gentle approach. For me, the best antidote is the slogan, Easy Does It.

When I notice that I am having trouble with my day, I let myself slow down. Instead of automatically assuming I am wrong, I try to consider the possibility I might be right on schedule.

 "Easy Does It" suggests not only that I learn to slow down, but that I also learn to lighten up. Today I learn to take a more accepting attitude towards myself and to enjoy the day, regardless of what I achieve.

Improving our own attitude and our own state of mind, takes time. Haste and impatience can only defeat our purposes." This is Al-anon

Feelings are everywhere--be gentle.  J. Masai