The kindness you show yourself becomes the foundation from which all other love flows,

for you cannot give what you do not first cultivate within.

And that is the thought for today.

Welcome to Seven Good Minutes. I'm Clyde Lee Dennis. Thanks for joining me for what I believe will be seven of the most enriching minutes of your day. In today's episode of Seven Good Minutes, we talk about speaking kindly to yourself first and the foundation of all love. Enjoy. There's a voice that follows you everywhere you go,

one that knows your deepest fears and your most vulnerable moments. It's the voice that speaks to you

in the mirror each morning, the one that comments on your choices throughout the day, the one that

whispers to you in the quiet moments before sleep.

This voice has more influence over your life than any other, yet so often we treat it like

an unwelcome stranger, rather than our most intimate companion.

By the end of this episode, you'll understand why the way you speak to yourself

sets the tone for every relationship in your life,

and you'll discover how transforming your inner dialogue can become the most powerful act of love you'll ever practice.

We live in a world that teaches us to be kind to others while being ruthlessly critical of ourselves.

We're quick to offer compassion to a friend who's struggling,

yet we speak to ourselves with a harshness we would never dream of using with someone we care about.

We've somehow convinced ourselves that self-criticism is motivation, that being hard on ourselves

will push us toward improvement. But here's what research and wisdom traditions have known for

centuries.

The quality of your relationship with yourself determines the quality of every other

relationship in your life. When you speak to yourself with kindness, you create an inner sanctuary

of peace that radiates outward. When you treat yourself with cruelty, you carry that energy

into every interaction, every decision, every moment of your day.

...