Today we ask that you not be so hard on yourselves.

You are all making progress, whether or not you can perceive it.  It is happening all the time.

It is very good to look back on your journey and see how far you’ve come.  How much you’ve grown.

Day to day, this growth may be imperceptible.  But when you look back, it is easier to see.

So: you are growing all the time, whether you know it or not.

Being hard on yourself only interferes with this process.  You can imagine that yelling at a plant because it is not growing fast enough won’t do any good.  Some of you can even see that expressing your anger and hostility toward a plant could slow its growth.

That is what being hard on yourself is like.  It won’t stop you from growing, but it can slow things down. It can also cause illness.

It is really no use to be hard on anything: plants, animals, children, other people, or yourself.

This doesn’t mean, be complacent, or don’t challenge yourself.

Great teachers know how to challenge their students while nurturing and encouraging them at the same time.  Great teachers also perceive and accept that each student is an individual, and do not try to force them to fit into a specific mold.

Great parents are the same way.

Sadly, there are many teachers and parents who do not know how to strike this balance between healthy challenge, and encouragement.  This is usually because they themselves have been poorly parented and taught, and they have not learned a different way.

Even if you were poorly parented and taught, it is never too late to learn a different way.

Please do not be hard on yourselves.  Support and encourage yourselves.

Then you will be in alignment with the energy that at all times fosters growth, and life.

Celebrate how far you have come.