Day 229 (Two-Hundred & Twenty-Nine) of 365 days
Hey you! Did you know that you’re very special? There is no other person in this world like you. You deserve to be loved not only by those around you but by the most important person in your life — YOU. Practicing self-love can be challenging for many of us, especially in times when we face serious challenges. It’s not about being self-absorbed or narcissistic, it’s about getting in touch with ourselves, our well-being, and our happiness. We practice self-love so we can push through our limiting beliefs and live a life that truly shines.
When was the last time you took stock and appreciated who you are ?? Not in an ego way, but honestly saw your own value and beauty. Took the time to appreciate your strengths, what you offer, and who you are?
We teach others how to treat us by the way we treat ourselves. Self-esteem is how we honestly feel about ourselves, appreciate and value who we are. When we look after ourselves, value and appreciate our strengths and beauty we demonstrate to others how we expect to be treated. If we treat ourselves as an after-thought we, similarly, demonstrate our value and how we deserve to be treated. When we do this we are able to allow praise and validation, from others, to sink in. If we lack Self Appreciation and don’t value who we are we will always discount what others say, reject their praise, and be suspicious of their motives while allowing negative comments to reinforce the poor image we have of our Self.
There are many excellent things to appreciate in everyday life. You can always find beauty in nature and the world. There are friends, family, and loved ones. And, there are simple necessities. There are all your favorite things. But you might be missing out on the most crucial person to appreciate: yourself! Yes, many things are worth appreciating, and you certainly should be grateful for them! But many people lose sight of their merit when they focus so much on how good everything else is. Don’t forget that you’re a wonderful person. Additionally, you deserve self-appreciation all the same. If you don’t appreciate yourself, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
I’m not talking about appreciating the miracle of life, although it’s obviously an awesome thing. I’m talking about actually appreciating all the good things you’ve done for yourself and the world. All of our relationships depend upon our relationship with ourselves. If you don’t love yourself, you can’t possibly love someone else. If you don’t respect yourself, you likely won’t make respectable choices. If you don’t value your time, you probably won’t use your time in a way you might deem valuable. The way you treat yourself dictates how you’ll treat the world around you. So today I say we should all recognize all the good we do each day. While rattling off physical things and conditions that we deem to be positive, we should take a moment to celebrate the person who also weathers the negative.
Want to be happier? Begin by being good to yourself. That may sound self-evident, but too many people skip this step and try to make themselves happy by chasing ever-higher goals or holding themselves to ever-greater standards of perfection. Ironically, being good to yourself instead will bring you closer to achieving those lofty ambitions. In fact, the happiest people go out of their way to treat themselves right and they do something nice for themselves each day. They set appropriate boundaries and take care of themselves by saying no to things when they need to. “When you love yourself, you understand that saying no to something you don’t want to do is an act of kindness, and you don’t walk around with negative feelings toward the person who asked you to do something you didn’t want to do. Not only is being kind to yourself good for your career, but it’s also good for your relationships too.
The end of the year is deceiving. This fictional boundary puts our focus on the future — we all think about improving ourselves. Your life is like a house. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming about having nicer windows or changing the colors of the walls. But if the foundation is not strong enough, the house won’t hold the weight — it will collapse. When you dream to become someone else, you stop valuing who you are. Self-appreciation is the foundation of a happy life. Without it, you can’t build a bigger you.
