Everything by longevity tends to get off course. Everything needs to be corrected. — Jim Rohn

Mowing the lawn may be tedious, but we don’t get upset about it. Lawns get shaggy, so we mow them.

An oil change is a chore, but it’s no evidence of a personal failing. Motor oil gets dirty, so we replace it.

No one feels bad about needing a dental cleaning twice a year. Teeth grow plaque, so we have it removed.

And yet: when we lose weight and gain some back, we feel inadequate. When we let our reading habit lapse during a busy period, we berate ourselves. When a personal relationship stalls, we feel like we’ve permanently failed the other person.

It’s not just physical items that get out of whack. Everything drifts. Everything in our life needs regular maintenance, and guess who the mechanic is? It’s us.

Yelling at the mechanic makes the work take longer. The best way to quickly get things back in working order is to be kind to ourselves while we make the necessary repairs.