Here’s something none of us ever do: berate ourselves for something we said or did, challenge our abilities and worth, tell ourselves that we suck and that our problems would be solved if only we were like some other seemingly-perfect person.
Aristotle once famously said that “a friend is another self.” To this we might humbly add: “the self should be another friend.” Selfishness that harms others is obviously bad, but there is a good and necessary form of self-love without which we cannot be happy.
Last summer I came across a good article on the matter: “Self-Help for Skeptics: Train Your Brain to Be Positive, and Feel Happier Every Day: It Only Sounds Corny” (WSJ, 8/27/12). Corny is the understatement, but it’s worth reading.