Life seems to get busier and busier and everywhere you turn there is something to do. How could you possibly add another item on your "To Do" list? Yet this one action is probably the most important thing to do in your life. It is something that you can and need to add to your daily routine. It will only take you 5 minutes or less.
What's so important that you must add it to your daily routine? It's taking the time to honor and love yourself. When was the last time you said or thought something loving about yourself? This is what is most lacking in many of our lives and it is something we can consciously decide to increase.
We've been trained to think we are not supposed to acknowledge or value what we add to the world. Look around you -- how many people do you know that truly love and respect themselves? When you are around individuals who honor themselves, you sense their inner joy.
Today's society has created a population of 'self-help junkies' actively searching for that inner love that brings us self-caring. What stops us from using this valuable information to transform our journey in life? Why is it so difficult to recognize and acknowledge our value?
Our value is something we believe is earned from others, and we seek validation from our loved ones, bosses, friends and anyone who is willing to offer us kind and loving words. How often do you value the love you receive by what another person does or doesn't do for you? The reason for this is that you are dependent on external interactions to judge your own value. We carry this unsatisfying need around our hearts and it causes us great pain.
What if we could start to eliminate our dependency on other people's love and start to consider their caring as dessert in our lives? Dessert is tempting to have all the time, but we know that three healthy meals nourish us more. So what would truly nourish you?
Start today by building your 'self-loving' habit. Take a minute to acknowledge yourself. Praising yourself is important. You get to decide what words resonate deeply within you and nourish your heart and soul. You can say something as simple as 'I Love Me.'
If you feel silly or are resistant to sing words of praise for yourself, do it anyway. Do it anyway every day. Start a habit of waking up and saying something positive about yourself. Go to bed and say something positive about yourself. Think of one positive thing -- don't judge, just say it anyway.
The focus here is to provide self-love that nourishes you and brings joy into your life. Self-love is the only love. The love we offer others comes from the love we have for ourselves. We really can't offer to others what we don't have for ourselves. Self-love isn't getting whatever you can from others, but rather giving love and respect to yourself. Once you have done that, your love can spread to others around you.
You have the right to think of yourself as a priority in your life. You are the only one who has that right. So be a friend to yourself -- Do it anyway, no matter what you feel.
