Wow, it is counter-intuitive, or at least counter-culture, but we get further ahead by forgiving ourselves for our mistakes/problems/imperfections rather than doubling-down on them by being hard on ourselves.
A new study around procrastination supports this:
Wohl et al. (2010) found that students that forgave themselves for procrastinating around an exam experienced less procrastination for the next test.
What are you hard on yourself about…It is helping you? Especially when gauged as to long term benefits?
A big part of my coaching ends up being helping people get past the upset about what is “wrong” about themselves, loving themselves for who they are, and thereby naturally encouraging their own growth.