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Download and listen later: Podcast 7: Be Kind (To Yourself) (32:59)

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In this podcast, we picked the topic of being kind to yourself, even though we’re not always great living examples. As promised though, we begin and end with laughing, and that’s always one of our main goals when we flip on the mic. This week’s topic is particularly relevant as Adam finds himself in a rare but VERY grumpy mood, and Wade talks about the irony of doing a podcast on kindness less than 12 hours after acting like a jerk.

There are a few gems and life lessons that we got around to focusing on. It’s common for us to sometimes be our own worst enemy with a constant internal dialogue that carries a negative tone. Perhaps we’re critical of how we look physically, or about ourselves when we make mistakes, or maybe it’s just a general feeling of not being good enough. Our thoughts are powerful and shape how we see the world around us, but we’ve learned that they are just thoughts, and they can be changed. Adam discusses how refusing to beat himself up over smoking paved the way to a miraculously easy road to quitting. Wade believes gratitude is the touchstone to kindness, and challenges anyone listening to attempt feeling grateful and discontent simultaneously (it’s impossible, he says).

Gratitude is the touchstone to kindness

The question arises, how are you treating yourself? Do you love yourself RIGHT NOW for being exactly who you are at this moment? Have you given yourself a high-five lately? Are you paying attention to all the good things in your life, or are you focused on the negative and being cut you to pieces by your thoughts?. A wonderful Dove marketing campaign focused on the very question of how we view ourselves, and the results are inspiring. We challenge you to pay attention to your thoughts, become aware of the inner dialogue and how your view yourself. The first step towards a change is awareness.

Are you paying attention to all the good things in your life?

Adam references one of his favorite books as an excellent example of loving yourself, and the consequences of not doing so: Dying To Be Me by Anita Moorjani. Wade pulls a nice quote from Tiny Buddha detailing a powerful example of a major mindshift towards self-kindness. And finally, we close with Adam calling bullshit on Wade’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich story, which results in a laugh attack.

Admittedly, we are no experts. Though we have both been through significant personal and internal struggles only to emerge on the other side with considerable improvements in the area of kindness and loving ourselves. As with all of the things we discuss, we have plenty of room for improvement. Our goal is to bring awareness to these topics in a light-hearted and hopefully funny way, and give you something to think about.