This post is brought to you by featured guest author, Jesse Harless. He and his new book Smash Your Comfort Zone inspire us all to look at what simple challenges we can take each day to improve our motivation and to practice these actions that create growth daily. It’s for those who are looking to break through any self-imposed barriers. The result will be a life that excites you and helps you to thrive.

To have compassion for others, we must first have compassion for ourselves and continue to notice when we are judging ourselves in elusive and hidden ways. Practicing self-compassion helps us discover and overcome our self-defeating criticism and judgement and spur desired growth.

Creating an intentional practice of smiling can help you experience the benefits more often. There are simple steps we can take to incorporate more smiling into our lives. 

When finding ourselves reacting in ways we don't like, or when we are confused by our reactions, it's important to reflect to identify our shame triggers, how we react to feeling vulnerable, and find ways to respond more mindfully. Identifying these type of shame triggers helps us gain strength and stay present in the moments when we feel vulnerable rather than reacting out of fear and shame.