There’s something I don’t really want to admit to myself, let alone to the readers of a national magazine: sometimes, I judge people. There, I said it! But we all do this, don’t we? It’s a natural part of being a human being, and nothing to be ashamed about, assures Gabrielle Bernstein, named as a ‘new thought leader’ by Oprah Winfrey and author of Judgement Detox: Release The Beliefs That Hold You Back From Living A Better Life(Hay House, £12.99).
A few months ago, I met Bernstein for breakfast. She openly and honestly told me about her own judgements and, more importantly than that, how relinquishing them has changed her life, enormously, for the better. Bernstein has written a whole book on judgement, and yet the thought of even admitting mine to myself paralysed me. I listened to her, struck by her bravery, noticing how her face softened as she spoke of the inner harmony she has found – by removing judgement, she had found peace. ‘What I would love is for someone to try the Judgement Detox for themselves and tell their own story,’ she professed as we grabbed our coats. So, here I am, albeit nervously, telling mine.
“Men in suits with briefcases – greedy and pompous; so-and-so at the office – all talk, no walk; family friend – anally retentive”