Self-Forgiveness

Why is it that I can easily forgive the shortcomings of those I love, and yet when I find in myself these same flaws, my judgement appears to be so much harsher? I suppose that's where the term "perfectionism" comes from. Although striving to become our best selves is certainly a worthy goal, when we find (as we ultimately will) that we have fallen short of our ideal standards, we need to embrace ourselves with the same loving arms we would bestow upon our most cherished friend. After all... there is no one else in this entire world that we will spend more time with than ourselves.