Learning to Love Yourself

I Heard It From the Song
From the song, “The Greatest Love of All”, the line… “Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all” is probably what hit me the most. When I was young and immature, it seemed selfish to do. But now that I’m older, that specific line now makes more sense because it really is true. 

But while the song says it’s “easy to achieve”, a lot of people fail miserably in learning to love themselves. It wasn’t easy for me to learn to love myself. I’m pretty sure, it wasn’t easy for a lot of people as well. But here’s the good news… it can be achieved! 

But how?  

Here are a few ways you can learn to love yourself 

Acknowledge Your Existence 
You are HERE. You’re alive. And you’re real. And you’ve got a purpose that is yours and yours alone. Embrace it and be grateful for your existence. Learn to appreciate who you are. You aren’t me. You aren’t anyone else. You are you! Once you’ve come to terms with this fact and have embraced it, the rest just falls into place. 

Create Boundaries 
Normally, I’d encourage you to go out and make tons of friends, only because friends are for keeps! However, you can’t make real friends if you don’t create boundaries first. This is true because real friends will respect you and your boundaries. But I digress. The boundaries you create show that you respect yourself and your purpose. It also protects you from outside forces, who will consistently try to veer you off course. 

Pamper Yourself 
Go to the gym, hike, run, get your heart rate up! Don’t do this for outward self image. Do it for your soul. Workout because God gave you the ability to do more! Find solace in getting your heart rate up! It also makes your body release endorphins, which helps you appreciate yourself even more. 

You Be You 
STOP comparing yourself to the person beside you. You are not them and they are not you. They will succeed at their own pace and so will you. And when they fall flat on their face, it won’t be the same time as you. So you be you and be in love with you! 

Make a Date With You 
You need some “me” time. This is very important. You should be able to be comfortable hanging out alone without having any form of self-pity. In fact, you should take advantage of your alone time. Read a book. Treat yourself to steak and wine. Watch a movie or a play. Get a massage! Learn to be alright being alone. Maybe, pick up a new hobby. 

Discover What You’re Good At 
We’re all good at something, even if it’s sleeping. But whatever it is you’re good at, give it a go! Don’t hold back. Invest time and effort in it. Learn, do, repeat. If you’re good at this “one thing”, you were made for it!  

 

Conclusion 
There are more ways to learn to love yourself. But the things I just mentioned are a good start to put a smile in your heart. You see, you can never truly give love to someone if you don’t have the capacity to give it to yourself. It’s not possible. And often times, it will come off as fake. It’s like giving money to charity when you don’t have the money to give… how? 

Start slow but start now. It will take a lot of patience and a lot of time to learn to love yourself. Not coincidentally, it will also take a lot of time and patience to truly learn to love someone else. Same thing, right? You can’t do to others what you can’t do to yourself. So go ahead! Take the first step! 

“You” has been waiting for you! Learn to love yourself! 

 

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