You will never find what you’re looking for in the love of someone else if you don’t first accept the love of yourself. Loving yourself can seem like a simple concept but when you look at it under a microscope, you’ll see that there are many facets to this emotional output & it is a daily practice, not a one & done.
Every day we learn something new or interact with another person in a new way. Every day presents the opportunity to treat ourselves with love, kindness, & compassion OR judgement, harshness, & frustration. If self-love is not a main focus in your daily practice, then you may find yourself searching outside of yourself for love, validation, & comfort. You can find these things temporarily in another, but to make that feeling last you must find the love stored within your own heart.
The gateway drug to self-love is self-compassion. Be kind to yourself, be patient & understanding that you are only human with limits, edges, & weaknesses. These things are not negative, remember, this is all information. Our talents are information & our weaknesses, or areas of improvement, are also information. The trick is to understand this information & find ways to support yourself now that you have a better understanding of your abilities. Then, allow for compassion & softness when things don’t go perfectly as planned. Learn from each scenario & thank yourself for the opportunity to grow & expand.
Love the good, love the bad AND love the ugly because that’s what makes life fun & interesting. Without it you’d be terribly bored of being perfect & getting everything right on the first try. Once you can love all aspects of yourself, you can see that there is very little that the outside world can do to shake your unbreakable sense of self. And once you’ve found your complete self, once you’ve loved every part, then you’ve opened the door for someone else to love you too.
We are not here to mold & change each other. We are here to learn and grow alongside one another. This is another way self-love can help you navigate your relationships in life, any relationship. Ask yourself, “Is this person helping me evolve into a higher version of my authentic self or are they trying to mold me into their version of a ‘better’ me? This helps to cut through the words & find the true intention. Do they know you well enough to know how to challenge you & awaken your hidden strengths or are they sitting there, pointing & poking, hoping to rearrange your DNA to better fit what they need?
Take the information as it comes & be kind to it. Sympathize with yourself & allow room for mistakes. If perfection & reaching the top, or destination, is your goal, then life will be a constant struggle trying to attain something that is always just out of reach. When happiness, joy & love are the end goals, life becomes more about the ride & how to have fun & learn along the way.
Because life IS the ride, it’s the journey, it never ends. You should never try to rush to the end because the end looks like death. So find ways to enjoy the ride, & the key to this is self-love.
Comment below if you’ve been harsh on yourself lately. I know I have. And send compassion to this place.
I send compassion to my heart, I’ve been cruel to her, I’ve ignored her & I’ve belittled her power for a long time. I’m sorry & I love you!
Earth School Lesson #5: Everything is Information