How to Love Yourself
i haven’t always loved myself. In fact for the first few decades of my life i was so entrenched in self-hatred, i’d have thought “loving yourself” meant being egotistical & thinking you’re better than others.
It was 2009 when the quiet revolution of self-love erupted in my being. It was such a momentous perspective shift, i couldn’t believe people still recognised me. Since then, i’ve been on a mission to support others to release self-attacking behaviours & love themselves. i’ve noticed a few reoccurring stages & wanted to share them in this video.
In 2006 a T’ai Chi / Transformational teacher (Panda) told me that of all the people he’d worked with, he’d never met anyone who hated, & was as hard on themselves, as I was. While a part of me was genuinely proud because i was top of the class in something(!), another part started to realise that maybe other people’s minds didn’t tear themselves to shreds.
i couldn’t imagine what an impact releasing the pain from my past could have on my life. i just didn’t know it was possible to let go of the negativity & love life! Now, not only do i experience self-love on the daily, i also have the joyous job of watching (in EFT Tapping sessions) as people undergo the same transformation. And some of these people have experienced incredible trauma. It’s humbling & stupendous to witness people release outdated belief systems causing them pain, and reclaim what they believed before…ideas like: ”i’m worthy of love.”, “i’m good enough.”, “i love and accept myself.”
Einstein said the most important question to ask is: “!s the world a friendly place?” Hating oneself, in case you don’t know, the outside world is experienced as hostile & cruel as one’s internal monologue. When you love yourself, it’s not that the world suddenly becomes a Disney show of ONLY roses, rainbow & glitter…there’s content challenges & still struggles (how boring would life be for our souls if we didn’t get to keep evolving). The difference when you love yourself is that you’re committed to loving & supporting yourself, in a kind & gentle way, as you move through any challenging periods. It’s like having the support of a best friend, but it can’t be taken away from you, because YOU are the source of it.
A decade ago I’d have said that “loving yourself is selfish”. In a way it is, because it involves a period of introspection & healing where you identify the pain you’ve accumulated to date. BUT once you’ve done this you naturally find a way to release it and stop inflicting this pain on others around you. So that’s already a huge win for the world. Also, once you’ve undergone this process, it’s so natural to want to give back to the world. Your true gifts naturally start to shine out and you’re able to easily share them. Whether that’s supporting others to love themselves, projects to sustain & develop humans’ connection to the Earth, creating inspiring art, loving business practices…our inherent desire to give-back & contribute unfolds.
i imagine this happens because once someone is centred in self-love, there’s a recognition that the “self” that is loved is SO much more than the personality self (aka egoic self) and while that part is worthy of love and compassion, there’s a deeper Self which philosophical & spiritual teachings have pointed to for as long as we’ve been in existence. Upon recognising that true Self within, that Self in me, which also exists within all living beings…it becomes impossible to harm what is essentially oneself in another form.
But okay, that’s a bit of a tangent & may be a bit much for some to get their head round (10 years back i’d have been eye-rolling all over the place) & honestly it’s not so important.
If i can only communicate ONE THING to you, it’s this - it’s possible for you to love every single part of yourself…and you’re worthy of that love. This is true for every single being on this planet.
If you’re already on board with this - AWESOME! i salute you! If you’re still finding your way there, then know that while there are many different techniques, EFT Tapping is the most effective tool i’ve found to quickly release past pain & move into self-love. There are loads of free resources available…so i’m not trying to sell anything here, just know that when you say ‘i’m ready to start loving myself” you’ll be guided on that journey, because THAT is your natural state of being & the Universe will support you to experience it.
Massive thanks to Antoine for filming & helping with the edit http://nice-video-production.com Also for being my best friend for going on 15 years & loving me even before I was able to love myself.
Because some are asking...Yes! I'd love you to share this post...more love! Thank you
