What to listen for:

In this special Valentine’s Day episode, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal do a deep dive into the topic of self-love. They kick things off with a discussion of “conditional” words: those “buts,” “althoughs,” and others that creep their way into our thoughts and speech without us even realizing it, pretty much negating whatever we just said.

Our hosts explain why it’s important to give ourselves grace in a world that frequently exposes our faults, to avoid chasing perfection, and to be grateful for the opportunity to grow and become better people through every adversity, big or small. Our hosts encourage K9 handlers everywhere to strive to become the best version we can be—just as we see the best in our dogs—and not let our knowledge or skill gaps influence our aptitude for self-compassion.

They refer to the three components of self-compassion, according to Dr. Kristin Neff: 1) Observe what is going on right now. 2) Actively develop and build a healthier self-perspective. 3) Connection with others—our common humanity. “If we can be kinder to ourselves, we can be gentler with others.” Kindness to yourself will help you achieve your personal and professional goals, deepen your relationships, and help you traverse this crazy world with more grace.

It’s time to be fiercely compassionate with ourselves!

Key Topics:

• Catching “conditional” words (04:04)
• Why it’s important to be able to read your dog’s emotional state (08:35)
• What people who lack self-compassion say to themselves (13:43)
• What do you want to hear, ideally, in self-critical moments? (19:57)
• The three components of self-compassion, according to Dr. Kristin Neff (25:53)
• How to have fierce compassion for yourself (38:42)
• Why to set “feeling” goals, not just outcome goals (46:15)
• Actions we can do to show ourselves compassion (56:43)

Resources: (may contain referral links)

• Awesome Citation Note Pad
• The Brave Athlete
• Maritza Parra: Doodle Your Emotions
• Who is Susan Garrett?
• Episode 42: Words Matter in Dog Training
• Episode 48: Setting Goals based in Gratitude
• Episode 47: Gratitude for 2022
• Episodes 29, 30, 31, 32 with Jo-Rosie Haffenden

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