I try to avoid making comparisons to others; I just end up feeling bad about myself a lot of the time, and it’s so rarely a rewarding enterprise. To wit: this newly discovered monkey seems a lot more thoughtful and self-possessed than the creature I’ve been staring at in the mirror the last 49 years. I try to be a nice person; I really do! But I’d venture this fellow has about 50 extra empathy points than I do. I’d love to find a pensive, pondering person primate like this dude to help me with my stress management skills. In fact, I’m seriously considering hiring him as a facilitator for next year’s staff retreat.
New York Times
Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff, or anything by Brené Brown would be a good place to start.