Here is a quote – As I began to love myself,. I. freed myself of anything that is no good for my health – food, people, things, situations, and everything that drew me down and away from myself. At first, I called this attitude a healthyegoism. Today I know it is “LOVE OF ONESELF”.
—Charlie Chaplin
To leading a great life, it’s obvious that we must understand and appreciate our own self, our innate capabilities, talents, weak spots and, of course, strengths. When we inch closer to our true selves, we start valuing life, which reflects further in healthy interactions with others, better performance, and yes, a healthy lifestyle filled with positivity.
While putting yourself on the top of your priority list, you will find several people around you mistaking such demeanor for egoism or ‘attitude’. Well, it’s always good to have a certain sort of attitude about your personality. In doing so, you are actually respecting your identity, talent, uniqueness, and skill sets. Rather than arguing with naysayers, it would be in your best interest to walk paths that will get you validation, love, and recognition for what you are.
Self-love comes from within since it’s always the individual who decides how they want to feel. Instead of expecting love from someone else, try loving yourself authentically, unconditionally and most importantly, profoundly. The way you love or treat yourself dictates or defines how others will treat you.
Don’t allow others to rule your true self
The moment we understand that it’s not others’ dominating aura that diminishes us, but our unwillingness to assert ourselves, we reach a state of self-realization that leads to self-love. At times, we feel inferior because we allow others to dictate terms to us. The best way to come out of such situations is to question why you are allowing others to rule your mind, body, and intellect, and empower yourself with a sense of self-love.
Never undervalue what you are
We make it a point to do our utmost to shower our blessings on our loved ones, take care of their concerns, celebrate their successes and console them when they feel low. On the other hand, when it comes to valuing our concerns and loving our true selves, some of us don’t care. Well, when we undervalue what we are, we actually overvalue others around us, who may not be at par with us. In terms of self-love, undervaluing what you are is sure to make things difficult for you since you may eventually stuff your life with regrets. On the contrary, those who place their dreams of being happy and successful above everything else get where they always intended to.
Have quality time with yourself
It’s very important to be with yourself every day. Even 15minutes a day for self-care, self-appraisal, and self-love will suffice if you cannot take out more. During this time, you can walk alone, do things that lighten your spirits or listen to your favorite music. You could pen down your thoughts or sort out conflicts that keep ailing you. When you have such quality time with the person that you are, you start understanding how beautiful life is and how you are worthy of enjoying its joys, successes, and surprises.
Accept who you are and gift yourself forgiveness
When too many conflicting ideas about your existence start crossing your mind, try to look at the positives of your past endeavors and how successfully you managed to handle a demanding situation. Even if you’ve tried but failed for one reason or the other, you can always forgive yourself since you did your best at that moment.
Have faith in your abilities and in your own uniqueness. Honor your truth and intuitions; it will help you stay firm when others try to bring you down. Always refuse to be swayed if you want to own your opinions and thoughts. Believe me, it will make you happy for the rest of your life.
