Once a week, no judgement

Judging people is what we do. We do it all day long, day in day out. It’s a way that we achieve our self awarded ‘status’ in the hierarchy of humans. It’s a way that we measure other people against our value systems in a narcissistic belief that ours is ‘the way’. We use it to justify our our behaviour. It sounds brutal but not one of us is immune. It is only through concentration and practice that we can we reduce our judgement. Achieving a reduction in our judge-like status is very healthy. You might even find you start to love yourself a bit more when you can accept that we all make mistakes and have a right to our unique autonomy. If only we could allow ourself and others to make mistakes and find our/their way in the world. 
I like to schedule a judgement-free day every now and again. The aim is not to be free of judgement as that is almost impossible but to catch yourself doing it and layer compassion over the judgements. Pick a day and schedule reminders for once per hour (you’ll need reminding). Each time you remember ask yourself ‘what or who am I judging right now?’ Once you’ve identified some judgements try to layer a compassionate thought alongside the judgement. Everyone is on their own journey. Everyone has a right to learn at their pace. We all have different histories and circumstances that shape how we behave. You have no idea how you would be if you had lived someone else’s life up to this point. You too are allowed to make mistakes, you too will learn and grow and you also are influenced by your experiences to date. Self love, be kind. Be great to hear how you get on with this exercise!

~ Jumbled Bean