Be gentle with yourself. Don’t be so hard on yourself.

Actually, I’m talking to me too. I had a few glasses of wine last night and ate some junk food. I woke up this morning disappointed in myself. Last Saturday I ran 10K, then 5K yesterday. I’ve been weight training at the gym. I’ve completely cut out smoking my pipe and cigars and the odd cigarette. I’ve changed my diet. I’m trying to drink less. In other words, I’m getting healthier. But I slipped last night and fell off the wagon. Boohoo!

But as I thought about it more, I realized that I’m comparing myself with my too recent self. I’m comparing myself to who I was last Saturday. What if I compared myself to who I was three years ago? I wasn’t really running or exercising much at all. I wasn’t concerned about what I ate or how much I drank. I smoked my pipe pretty much every day. I was a stressed out mess. That was just after I left the church. I’m doing so much better now.

The same applies with every other aspect of my life. I’m doing so much better incrementally. Sometimes it takes time to change. Sometimes it takes time to get healthy. Life’s a movie not a polaroid.

So… be gentle with yourself. Don’t be so hard on yourself.