Why is loving yourself critical to being happy and fulfilled? Loving yourself is important for several reasons. First off, if you don’t love yourself, it will be a challenge for you to love others and for others to love you.
My philosophy is- you can only reproduce what is already produced in you, which means whatever is in you is what is going to come out of you. If love is not inside, then it can’t be released or given.
In addition, you can only love people according to the level of self-love and maturity you possess.
Having a greater awareness of self will enable you to become more empathic, whereas you put yourself in others’ shoes on a continual basis, resulting in you being more cognizant of your actions and reactions.
By default, your relationships will evolve, and your bonds will strengthen due to you exhibiting more patience, kindness, selflessness, consideration, and forgiveness.
Next, self-love is connected to self-esteem (how you feel about yourself), self-concept (what you think about yourself), and self-confidence (being assured and certain about your abilities). If you are not pleased with who you are, then the previously mentioned components: self-esteem, self-concept, and self-confidence will also be low, which will affect many areas of your life, such as your mental, emotional, physical, behavioral, and social aspects.
In order to live a super, satisfied, and prosperous life, there are 7 self-love laws that one should be aware of and try to observe.
1. Call yourself to the carpet
This is a challenging task, but it is also a vital one. You must ask yourself the following questions continually. Am I happy with who I see in the mirror? Am I giving my all consistently? If I were someone else, would I want me as a coworker, spouse, friend, parent, etc.? At the end of my life, will I have many regrets, and many should’ve, would’ve, could’ve statements? Am I fulfilled with my career and path in life? Throughout my life and various careers, I had to ask myself all of these tough questions. When the answers hurt my feelings, I decided to make the necessary adjustments and modifications so that my responses would then enable me to feel satisfied and happy.
2. Write Your Own Narrative
Be the autobiographer of your life story and don’t allow biographers to dictate how your story unfolds. This will cause you to take the pen, be proactive, and draft your own script. You oftentimes get confused, misguided, and frustrated when you allow others to give you suggestions for your life. I endured this for a season, but then, I decided to navigate my own path and plot my own course. Since I made that decision, my life has been amazing, exciting, and fulfilling because I am fulfilling my divinely appointed destiny and not the dreams or desires of others.
3. Indulge in guilty pleasures regularly
Pat yourself on the back, celebrate personal successes, and throw your own parties. About ten years ago, I literally put on my own music showcase/birthday bash. I rented a room at our local civic center, hired a caterer, and performed. People had been saying they wanted to host such an event for me for years but never did it, so I took matters into my own hands and made it happen.
4. Be patient with you
Have realistic expectations for yourself. Avoid setting the bar too high or too low. When you fall short, extend yourself grace and give yourself space to recover and make amends. In my business and personal life, I have experienced some extreme financial hardships. Through it all, I persevered, knowing that one day, things would change for the better. I didn’t throw in the towel and beat myself up over my mistakes. Because of my patience, I am now experiencing the 180 degree turn around of things in my life.
5. Speaking affirmations
I quote bible scriptures, positive sayings, and inspirational statements daily because I realize that words are seeds that contain transformative power. And because I want to reap blessings and goodness, I speak/sow positive, wholesome, and uplifting words.
6. Invest in yourself
I know many people who put money into stocks, bonds, and causes but never into themselves. You must realize that you are the most valuable entity. Your education, projects, skills, professional development, personal growth, and life enhancements deserve to be financed by you. I have personally put this into practice. I totally financed every one of my books and CD’s. Also, I served as a 100% investor. Why? Because I know I am worth it. Even if some things haven’t gone as well as I anticipated, me putting finances towards things I care about has been important to my satisfaction and fulfillment.
7. Pursue your dreams
Either we are chasing our dreams or helping others to achieve theirs. All of us have dreams of doing things. Unfortunately, as we get older, many of us stop visualizing and believing in them. We should never halt this process. It is encouraging to think about achieving big feats in life. Doing this creates a drive within us and gives us a purpose/reason for living.
Not doing this puts us at a standstill, a place of complacency. We must be mindful that we are never too old to achieve our goals. Many famous people achieved their dreams later in life.
