There’s a chapter in #TheLightWeCarry where I share the story of my friend, Ron, who starts every morning by greeting his own reflection in the mirror and saying “Heeey, Buddy!” At first, I found this to be funny. But I later found this habit to be important — it’s an example of choosing to begin the day with a little burst of love for yourself. In my book, I call this practice “starting kind.”
I personally have some mornings where I turn on the light, look at myself in the mirror, and then want to turn the light off again. I’ll reflexively start cataloging my flaws and recognize only the parts of me that could and should be better.
But what Ron’s simple little habit reminds me is that how we talk to ourselves matters — especially first thing in the morning. Keeping our spirits high takes a lot more than that, of course, so I hope you’ll read the whole story in my book. And then, hopefully, we can give each other and ourselves a little more grace and kindness.
By Michelle Obama – Forever FLOTUS and Author
