05/01/2026
💭 "If we feel pulled to judge, it's typically an area we need to work on."
This idea stopped me in my tracks when I first heard it — and it's something I come back to often, both personally and in my work.
Carl Rogers, one of the most influential figures in modern therapy, believed that non-judgment wasn't just a technique — it was a way of being. He called it "unconditional positive regard": the practice of accepting people fully, without evaluation or conditions.
But here's the part we don't talk about as much: that kind of acceptance has to start with ourselves.
Researcher Kristin Neff has found that the people who judge others most harshly tend to also be the hardest on themselves. We can only extend outward what we've first made room for inward.
So when judgment arises — toward someone else, or toward yourself — it's worth getting curious rather than critical. What is this reaction telling me? What part of me needs a little more understanding right now?
That's the quiet, ongoing work of becoming more empathic. And it's work worth doing. 🌱
