A Simple Secret to Self-Love

Love is an overused word which most people tend to use lightly without thinking of its actual meaning. Loving ourselves is the first step in loving others. I always say that we cannot give what we don’t have. If you don’t truly love yourself, it is impossible to give love to others. Yes, that even includes your family… The first step in accepting the love for yourself is acknowledging that YOU deserve health and happiness, and that you are worth the effort that it takes to keep the positive changes coming into your life. I know that “life” and commitments get in the way sometimes. You lose sleep, get stressed out, eat poorly (or not at all), and exercise and self-care fall off to the bottom of the priority list. Sometimes you have to keep reminding yourself that you are worth all the effort, not in a conceited or egotistical way, but in a compassionate and loving way. The specific changes that you are making today will continue to support your life, and the life of others since others view you as an example for their own lives, and of course, also supports your overall well-being. Approaching the positive changes with compassion for yourself and your efforts, makes this commitment to better your health and love for yourself easier. Trying to recognize that if you don’t take care of yourself now, some of the consequences will be: • not being able to take care of others, including your family • not being there to share and cherish a great quality of life, full of stamina and energy • sickness, disease, aches and pains, depression, and stress find their way into your life • use excuses to “check out” with alcohol, pain killers, or food intake Without the self-judgement, recognize how the habit or habits you are trying to change create suffering and stress, including the habit of judging and being critical of yourself, acknowledge then, that you choose to be free from this stress and suffering and truly choose to let it go… Celebrate and give yourself credit for making the decision to love yourself first and take positive actions for your own life and how these positive actions are supporting you in this journey. Be grateful for the support of family and friends in this journey. Get outside and see how Nature renews itself over and over again. Observe the natural world, the smell of the air, the feel of the wind, the sound of the birds, the shifting shadows as the sun travels the sky every day. Learn from all that wisdom, and embrace your ever changing feelings of eagerness, happiness, pride, vulnerability, strength, exhaustion and whatever emotions or feelings arise with your reactions, while embracing it all because all this and more, make you the special, amazing spirit you truly are! Every day is a wonderful day to be alive and embracing this attitude will help you access your inner strength for whatever challenges arise. Embrace the fact that as a human being, you are allowed to make mistakes and to change your mind for decisions made in the past. It is okay to realize that mistakes and “failures” and important for growth and change. Instead of dwelling about past mistakes, missed opportunities or “how good things were back then,” embrace the new changes, the new YOU and the great opportunities ahead from today forward. Remember, sometimes you have to let go of who you are for what you can become. Embrace your inner light, your wisdom, and the love for your own self. Love your life and improve by growing and having compassion and love for who YOU are today and always. Make a decision to love YOU!