Summary of The Benefits of Not Being a Jerk to Yourself | Dan Harris | TED

00:00:00 - 00:10:00

Dan Harris discusses the benefits of not being a jerk to yourself, and how self-love and self-care are important in order to have better relationships and help solve larger problems. He recommends practicing Loving-Kindness Meditation and consciously countering one's inner critic.

• 00:00:00 Dan Harris discusses the challenges of being a good person, and how meditation has helped him learn how to be more compassionate. He talks about how he underwent a 360 review where 16 people gave confidential interviews and gave him feedback about his strengths and weaknesses. He says that the first 13 pages of the report were positive, but the later 26 pages were critical, with reviewers noting that he was rude and authoritarian. He shares that after the 360 review, he decided to do more self-work and attended a nine-day silent retreat with Spring Washam, a meditation teacher, where he practices "loving-kindness." Although he initially thought the practice sounded like Valentine's Day with a gun to his head, he was determined to try it out and succeeded in becoming a more compassionate person.
• 00:05:00 Dan Harris discusses the benefits of not being a jerk to yourself, and how self-love and self-care are important in order to have better relationships and help solve larger problems.
• 00:10:00 Dan Harris discusses the benefits of self-love and how to increase those benefits. He recommends practicing Loving-Kindness Meditation and consciously countering one's inner critic.