I'm Monica Packer from About Progress, and this is a growth spurt, a short episode where

I share a bite-sized way you can increase your progress today.

This past fall, I started occasionally sharing some growth spurt on progress principles,

where I talk about some principles on change that I keep coming back to both personally

and professionally as a coach and a podcaster.

Today's progress principle is compassion.

I used to think the only way I could change was by being super hard on myself.

You know, high expectations, lots of grit, an incredible amount of determination, which

was really validated me a lot.

But underlying all of that was the steady stream of self-criticism.

A little while ago, I shared a replay from an episode I was on with mindful art coach

ladies and their incredible podcast, Common Kindness.

The reason I'm bringing that episode up is, you know, I'll link to it in the show notes

for those who want more of the in-depth version of how compassion has changed my story,

but also it's because of this quote that they introduced to me that I was like, I wish

I had known this years ago.

It's from Carl Rogers, and he is one of the four fathers, I guess, or maybe I don't

know, four fathers, the right word, but the fathers of psychology, I guess, and this

is something that he said, quote, the curious paradox is that when I accept myself just

as I am, then I can change, unquote.

When I first heard that from them, I almost fell out of my chair because I've lived it,

but I never would have believed it before.

...