This motivational text messaging app helps me kick ass every morning

As a self-proclaimed optimist, I have a particular fondness for inspirational quotes. I “like” them on Instagram, post them to my “Words of Wisdom” board on Pinterest, and save my favorites to my phone. So you can imagine my enthusiasm when I stumbled upon Shine while mindlessly scrolling on Twitter. Motivational texts delivered straight to my phone every morning? Yes, please.

My mantra for 2017 is to be kind to myself, and the women behind Shine believe that self-compassion is the best way to achieve personal goals.

Sounds about right to me.

Too often, I get hard on myself for not accomplishing my goals as soon as I’d like, or for not crossing off every item on my to-do list. But Shine is like having a personal cheerleader in your pocket, providing you with tactical ways to achieve your goals and friendly reminders to practice self-care and self-compassion.

Since adding Shine to my morning routine, I’ve noticed that my day starts on a much calmer, more positive note. So many times I’ve read the morning text message and thought to myself, “How do they know??” because the message hits so close to home.

And I’m not the only one.

According to Shine founders and close friends Marah Lidey and Naomi Hirabayashi, "93 percent of people who have used Shine texts say that they are more confident and have seen a noticeable improvement in their daily happiness."

With so many well-being and self-care tips available on a daily basis, I couldn’t help but wonder how Lidey and Hirabayashi make time for self-care while running a company focused on wellness.

“We keep it real, they tell me. “We’re working harder than we’ve ever worked to build this company, and we have to actively remind ourselves (yep, even us, as Shine co-founders) to practice self-compassion when we’re being hard on ourselves around trying to get all the things done.

Their secret? #SelfCareSaturdays.

“We both take a day, disconnect, bike, explore Brooklyn, brunch, you name it. Whatever our hard working heart desires,” they said. “Taking a day to pause, rejuvenate, and reflect gives us extra ammo when we’re operating at 110 percent the rest of the week.”

And if that doesn’t do the trick, Lidey and Hirabayashi recommend giving yourself a pep talk.

“When you get caught up in a moment of thinking you’re not doing enough, making a mistake, or worrying you’re falling behind, talk to yourself like you would a friend,” they suggested.

“Imagine you’re viewing yourself from the outside, getting that third-party view on everything you are getting right. As humans, we excel at being hard on ourselves, and completely disregard the advice we’re often giving others around acknowledging our strengths.

That’s what I’m talking about.