We begin to become workable when we finally accept ourselves. We start by giving up our spiritual shopping and by taking refuge in the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha.
We begin by synchronizing our mind and body through shamatha-vipashyana, and by developing friendliness to ourselves.
Having begun by paying attention to ourselves, we then find that others are also important. So in the mahayana, we develop compassion by means of tonglen practice and by working with the lojong slogans. We relate to both relative and absolute truth, and we realize ultimate bodhichitta.