"There is more in us than we
ever known. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives we
will be unable to settle for less". ~ Kurt Hahn
"How many times dressed in our best attires we have pictured ourselves in front a mirror? Probably we don’t remember the number of times we have done that and probably we were not aware of the beautiful soul that
had been wrapped in the best and unique outfit too. It is so with the world around us. We mortals always love to see the beauty and grace of everything that is external and care less to fathom inside. Isn’t that an irony when we tend to see and admire the external beauty of our body and not the real soul within?
You've probably heard the words – “If you want other people to love you, you must love yourself”, countless times before. It's one of those things that get thrown around, usually when someone is in a down-and-out state and struggling to understand why he or she doesn't feel loved. If they're being said to you they can be painful, but the pain underlines a telling fact: those words are true. Whether or not you want to believe it, if you don't love yourself, no one else can truly love you. Certainly you can be in relationships and experience varieties of emotions similar to love, but if you don't love yourself, if you don't respect yourself, I can guarantee you that no one else can really, truly love or respect you either.
How do I know this? Of course from experience. The older I get, the more I get to know myself, and, much to my surprise, the more I get attracted actually to love myself. Many of you will say that it is a selfish act. Nope! That is not selfish, for I am sowing the seed of love within me for the benefit of all those who come into my life. And, not surprisingly the more I grow to love myself and value my place in this world, the more love and acceptance I experience in my relationships with others. It may seem a cliché or even ironic to many of you, but I can only speak from a place of my experiences and my experiences have shown me that the quote above is 100%, shockingly, undeniably true. If you want other people to love you, you must LOVE YOURSELF FIRST.
We all know this is generally much easier said than done. Of course we all want to love ourselves, but it's not always that easy, is it? Sometimes it can be very, very difficult to believe that you are worth loving. Sometimes it can be damn near impossible to believe that you are valuable. But you are! You, me, and everyone of us are capable of loving and being loved. It's not always simple -- and usually it's not -- but it's always possible. And it's up to you to take the first step in the cycle of love by loving yourself. (The cycle of love, if you're wondering, is the idea that once we love ourselves, we are then capable of being loved, and then are capable of loving others, which makes us love ourselves even more!) If isn't already obvious, I'll spell it out for you here: no one but you can take this first step toward loving yourself. Others can attempt to love you -- and they can do their very best to convince you that you need to love you -- but ultimately it's up to you. Only you can do the impossible!
And, often, when left in our hands, the possibility of loving ourselves seems too grand, and insurmountable to even begin to dive into. In order to love ourselves, we have to accept ourselves and oh God, that would seem hard sometimes. We have to accept the good and the bad, the mistakes and the triumphs. We have to actually look at ourselves in the mirror and really see who we are (which, believe me, can be pretty nerve-racking and pretty difficult sometimes). Its way more tempting to just float along, letting the world move around you, just hoping that someday you will be loved in the way you want to be loved. As someone who has done this, I can tell you for sure that you'll never find what you're looking for if you don't start making some proactive attempts to love yourself. There's no better time than right now -- yep, right this very minute! -- To get started on some serious self-love. Here's my advice:
CELEBRATE YOUR PAST: I'll be honest with you -- this is one of the hardest ones for me. There are things about me. I used to be that I just don't want to celebrate. However, I think about it like this: everything that happened to me in the past made me the person I am today so I need to embrace and celebrate that past because, without it, I wouldn't be me.
INDULGE IN YOUR DESIRE: Now, not every desire should be indulged it, but sometimes I think it's important to recognize the things that make you happy, that inspire you, that send little shivers of delight down your spine. Doing so will help you recognize the uniqueness that is you and will help you to identify the things you can focus on, those things that truly bring you happiness.
LET GO YOUR MISTAKES THAT BROUGHT AGONY: Remember that to err is human but to forgive is divine. Mistakes happen. It happens to everyone. No matter what you look like, who you are, what you do for a living, you've made mistakes. We all have and they all suck and seem terribly wrong. I look back on some of my mistakes and literally cringe. But you know what? It doesn't do you any good to focus on them. Take what you can from them, learn from them, and then move the hell on. Learning from past mistakes makes us better individuals. Never make that mistake again. More so forgiving yourself for those mistakes makes you divine too.
CHANGE YOUR MIND SET: Sadly it's often easier to get down on yourself than it is to lift yourself up, but if you want to love yourself, you have to change your mind set. You have to believe that you're worthy of love and you have to actively seek out positive things about yourself and your life. Believe me, if you don't do it, no one else well. Change the way you think about yourself and the rest will fall into place. It is the attitude that can save further grief.
THINK ABOUT YOUR FUTURE: Sometimes you find yourself in a tough spot, unhappy with your life and ultimately unhappy with yourself. While I'm all about living in the present, I understand sometimes that the present can be pretty rotten. No exception and no one can escape this dilemma. So cut yourself some slack and remember that you have a deliciously exciting future ahead of you. Focus on what's to come and remind yourself that you can do anything. It is within you. You can do it if you will to do.
WORK ON YOUR PASSION: Most people are passionate about something. They have things that really matter to them -- whether it is a cause or a job or a loved one or a hobby. Whatever it is that gets you really excited, focus on it. Embrace it. Plan for it. Work it for your benefit. Run with it. One of the best ways you can learn to love yourself is to zero in on the things that make you the happiest and spend as much time as you can on them. You are great the greatness is lying dormant in you. You have the power to awaken it. Light your passion and indulge in the warmth of it.
USE THE PRESENT MOMENT REALISTICALLY WITHOUT DWELLING UPON YOUR PAST: This might confuse you, believe me it is simple. While it's not always easy to live in the moment (nearly a year after realizing this I still struggle with it on a daily basis but I am progressing inch by inch, and man should I say, I love it!), it's important that you do so. Why? Because to live in the moment is to accept what is and to accept what is the best way I've found for truly loving yourself. If you focus on the past or present, you do not love yourself now. That’s where contentment plays its part significantly. You have to be content and declare your gratitude for what you have received from the universe. Imagine how many other individuals are undergoing the pangs of pain and sufferings. Aren't you better off when compared to them? Love yourself by being present.
OCCASIONALLY BLOW YOUR TRUMPET: I know some people don't like to toot their own horns, but you know what? Its okay to say how awesome you are every once and awhile. It's okay to admit that, wow; you did an amazing job on something or accomplished something you never thought you could. Here I would caution you to celebrate only your good things that you have accomplished and not those things that brought your and others downfall. Celebrate the times that you have spent together with your lost loved ones rather than grieving about their absence now. Celebrate yourself and your achievements and all of that self-love is sure to find you. Love your awesomeness because, seriously, you are awesome.
BELIEVE IN YOUR CONSCIENCE: Do you ever find yourself ignoring your instincts or avoiding your gut reaction? Don't do that anymore. If you want to love yourself, you have to believe yourself. You have to trust yourself. It's not always easy to listen to yourself, but recognize that your thoughts and ideas are always valid (no matter how ridiculous they might seem). You don't always have to act on your ideas, but always listen to them. Trust your heart more than anyone that’s my sincere advice.
FOCUS UPON YOUR TRUE-VIRTUOUS-SELF AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE: Okay, so there are some things you want to change about yourself, about your body, about your relationships, about your life? That's okay. We all want to change things. But what if you stopped focusing on the things you want to change and, instead, focused on the things you wanted to stay the same you. It would do a lot of good for you. Appreciating all that you have in your life is one of the very best ways to remember that you're so very lucky to be YOU.
Of course, there are more, but these are, in my opinion, the best OPTIONS to start with. I recognize that loving yourself can be really hard work. It's something I work on every day and still don't think I have it completely down (or know if I ever will!), but every time I do something or think something that aligns with the idea that I do, in fact, love myself, I find that a much more positive, more present person. After all, it's pretty hard to live in the moment and love the moment you're living in if you don't love yourself........
How true are the words of Kurt Hahn - "There is more in us than we ever known. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives we will be unable to settle for less". When I re-read it more often, I thought to myself, Wow! That really is the real truth. We are all such unique and complex beings and we often don't spend the time or energy looking at our own souls in a deep and meaningful way. The more we turn our attention towards ourselves, towards the act of loving ourselves, the more likely we will be to ask for more from life and forever and never settle for less than we deserve. Don't settle. Don't wait. Go ahead and start loving yourself right now! It is the right move before loving others."
Sending love, lights, peace and warm hugs to you, my dear friends!
Anthony Sunny Kunneth.
Tight on Budget ? Not enough leads for your business? Here's your chance to get 1 Million Double-Opted In, Daily Verified Fresh Leads For FREE !!Come get it before they close this free offer!
No comments:
Post a Comment