While mindfulness is about cultivating bare attention, discernment, clear seeing, and wisdom, at the same time it is important to bring an affectionate quality to the attending — an openness to whatever may arise, along with a degree of kindness and a willingness to extend our intrinsic compassion to embrace even ourselves.
Again, this is not something that we need to force or strive to acquire. Rather it is a quality of being that we might realize is already part of who we are. All we need to do is keep it in mind from time to time for it to come more into the foreground in any moment.