If I asked you to name all the things that you love, how long would it take you to name yourself?
I realize more and more that I love others so much better when I love myself first. Self-love is not about “me, me, me”, but starting with “me” to build a strong “we”. The more I love myself, the more the world around me changes. I have found that I attract more good people and good circumstances into my life. I choose better career paths, better people to spend my time with, better adventures and better foods.
For the first time in a long time, I went to the grocery store and said: “I want only to buy food that fuels my brain.” The notion to “buy healthy food” was not out of hate for my body, but my LOVE for it. (THANK YOU to my girls Foodbymaria & Onelessroll for this revelation.) I know now that I want to eat well (and enough, yet not too much), to gain more energy and clarity, in order to become more productive and successful, in order to spend more time with those who I love.
One of the greatest myths about loving ourselves is the notion that indulging our self is a way to giving love to our self. Self-indulgence may take the form of overeating (emotional eating or consuming the wrong foods). It may be abusing sex, alcohol, drugs or spending too much money. These are not gifts to yourself, these are acts that hurt your long-term happiness.
I am slowly, but surely, learning how to love myself the right way: spending time with those who inspire me (and much, much less with those who gossip and are not looking to lift others up), crushing meaningful goals, knowing when to say no and learning how to set more boundaries.
Please join me today with a message to ourselves:
I love you always – unconditionally and fully.