“Self-hatred? What is that?”
An excerpt from a recent newsletter from Sam Harris:
In 1990, the Mind & Life Institute hosted a conference in Dharamsala During one Q&A session, the Dalai Lama was asked about his thoughts on self-hatred. He was confused, and looked to his translator for help. After many back and forths where he struggled to understand, the Dalai Lama finally replied with, “Self-hatred? What is that?”.
You talk to your colleagues with respect, you talk to your friends with compassion. Then why is the voice in your head so critical? Imagine if you were your own manager; you would immediately be fired for constant pessemism, or even worse, for bullying.
The first step towards loving and accepting others is to love and accept yourself.
Self compassion is the first step to empathy, and empathy is the first step to leadership. If your mind-voice inspires yourself, your outside voice can inspire others.