What kind of friend are you?

Are you an empathetic listener? Do you give thoughtful advise? Are you the sarcastic or funny one in the group who never fails to make your friend’s laugh when they’re feeling low?

Now let me ask you another question… What kind of friend are you to yourself?

I find that some of the most amazing, caring and giving people often forget to give themselves the same respect. Not on purpose, of course. But were they ever taught?

As a child you probably learned how to be a good friend to others. You learned to pay attention to facial expressions in order to be sensitive to mood. You learned to apologize when you wronged someone. You learned to accept an apology when you were wronged. You spend a lot of quality time with your friends and you probably consider some of them extended family.

But did you catch on that those traits should be applied to you as well?

Last year, my own Bestie found herself in a pretty difficult situation. She needed to make a painful decision in order to protect herself and her own children. Without getting into the details, I just asked her this…

“Put me in the exact same situation. What would you tell me to do? Would you forgive me if I made the wrong decision? Would you think any less of me for making one decision over the other? Would you love me any less? So why would have more love, more respect, more empathy for me, than you would for your own self?”

You’ve had years of practice being a really good friend to others. Don’t forget about you!

Imagine what you might accomplish if you:

> Forgive Yourself
> Encouraged Yourself
> Respected Yourself
> Spent Time Getting to Know Yourself
> Saw the Potential in Yourself
> Had Faith in Your Abilities
> Realized how Amazing You are as a Person

…and most importantly,

> Loved Yourself

After all, “You’d be surprised what love can heal.”

If this message inspired you to see your self just a little bit differently today, please share it or comment below! And make sure you’ve joined our mailing list for more inspirational messages like these.

Thank you!!!
Shannon