There’s a lot of talk about love in the month of February. Do you want to know what’s better than romantic love- it’s self love, of course! A lot of good stuff starts with loving yourself. Self love is the secret to living and loving a great life!
I’m speaking from experience here, loving myself has turned my life from sad and empty to happy and full! I wasn’t always living the good life. And by good life I mean being truly happy with life on life’s terms, not having everything go my way because that never happens.
Not only did I not have much love for myself in my sad and empty days, I put everyone else’s concerns before my own. When you put everyone and everything before you, you have less and less to give to anyone. I’ve got plenty of reasons to put yourself first. An awesome life starts with you!
Even worse is than putting others first is self loathing, and please trust me when I tell you it leads to nothing good! Many years of hating myself kept me from trying new things, making progress, and loving life. I’m sure it’s no surprise I was downright miserable! I couldn’t begin to live up to my awesome potential until I first began to love myself.
Let’s recap, shall we? Do you want to be happy? Do you want to be healthy? Do you want to be loved? Do you want professional success? The answer is self love!
Now you may be thinking this concept of self love sounds a little strange. It definitely felt strange to me when I first tried to love myself. It’s okay to feel a little strange. Actually, I’ve found that if I’m not pressing on the edge of my comfort zone, I’m usually not progressing. So embrace feeling strange because that’s how you grow.
All right, all right- how do you love yourself, you may be wondering. Or maybe you’re not wondering that at all. Well, be a dear and read on anyway. You just might find a little inspiration!
12 Ways to Self Love!
01. Say, “I love you.”
Yeah, this is one of those things that feels really strange and has great results. At the height of my self loathing I was challenged to look at myself in the mirror every day for a month and say, “I love you.”
I didn’t like it! It felt really weird. But you know what happened? All that positive self-reinforcement started to sink in and I began to believe I was worthy of love after all.
Maybe you’re not completely self loathing. Maybe you’re just middle-of-the-road okay with yourself but not really that excited about it. Saying “I love you” to you is a powerful exercise in self-acceptance and self love. Give it a try, okay?
02. Stop comparing yourself to others.
You’re an awesome individual with a unique life experience and your own strengths and talents.
You’ve got your own path in life. Instead of trying to walk someone else’s path, or letting yourself get discouraged by someone else’s perceived success, celebrate your journey! Stop comparing yourself to others.
03. Do something you love.
Engaging in a favorite activity is a great way to show a little love to you! Maybe you love a particular sport, or maybe curling up with a good book is just your style.
Whatever you enjoy doing, do it! If possible, do it every day.
04. Adopt an attitude of self gratitude!
Gratitude is a simple concept that has the power to change attitudes, offer perspective, and make every day great!
When it comes to self love, adopt an attitude of gratitude. Make a self gratitude list- write down all the stuff you love about you and celebrate your awesomeness!
05. Take care of you!
Self care goes right along with self love and you can’t have one without the other. It’s always important to take care of you. Get enough sleep, eat when you’re hungry, drink when you’re thirsty. It’s not all that hard to take care of you!
06. Make peace with your inner critic
Do you have that voice in your head that criticizes you at every turn? The voice that says you aren’t good enough? It just ain’t true!
You are smart enough, you’re good enough, and doggone it, people like you! Isn’t about time to make peace with your inner critic?
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07. Get down with your awesome self!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- you’re awesome! If you don’t know it yet, please take my word for it now and know it for yourself later.
Wake up each day and ask yourself, “how can I be awesome today?,” then go out an be awesome!
08. Believe in yourself.
Self-confidence doesn’t come after accomplishment, it comes before. If you want to be successful you have to believe in yourself, even if other people don’t believe in you. You can totally do this!
09. Have some fun.
You work hard and you deserve a little fun! Wait- what am I saying- you deserve a LOT of fun! Add a little fun every day.
Share a laugh, skip through a field, play a game- do something fun. Don’t delay, have fun today!
10. Move past your mistakes.
We all make mistakes- oh, and did I mention it’s totally okay to make mistakes? When you make a mistake learn from it, regroup, and move on!
Don’t let your mistakes get you down. At least, don’t let them keep you down for long.
11. Focus on what’s really important.
What’s important? Is it the day-to-day to-do list that so often runs your life? No way! Do as little of the “to-do”s as possible and spend more time making headway on what’s really important to you!
12. Embrace your imperfections!
You’re perfectly imperfect, and, hey, so am I. Imperfections and personal quirks are often endearing- they make us who we are. Embrace your imperfections and accept yourself just as you are today!
I love your comments! Are you inspired to love yourself this Valentine’s Day? What other ways do you love yourself?