How do you learn to Love Yourself?

(I had this thought while listening to Drew Carey on a DTFH Podcast episode)

Ive had this question in the past and still do from time to time.  For anyone else who has had or ever will have it, this is for you. 

How do you learn to love yourself?

In an attempt to scrub off the implicit negative film of self-help and woo-woo, I'll jump right into the practical, relatable aspects of my point.  Substitute the mysticism with work.  You have to work at it.  That's what it is.  Constantly and consistently.  In the way that having the physical body you've always wanted is a lifestyle, so is loving yourself.  Like making a relationship flourish requires presence, attention and affection. Like writing a novel means showing up early mornings and late nights and putting in the work. The way that achieving any goal you set for yourself is more about the journey than it is about the destination, so is loving yourself.  Loving yourself shouldn't be looked at as some mental state you eventually achieve and keep.  It's not something you find, it's something you create by being grateful for what you do have.  Be thankful for the ability to strive for what you want.  You may not be good at this, but you are at that-and that's not nothing.  If you haven't considered it, do so now. From being able to see and read this (albeit not the greatest piece of writing on earth) but being able to see and read anything at all.  The ability to think, to contemplate, to learn, to grow.  Be thankful for all of it.  The way that meditation is more about noticing when your mind inevitably drifts away in thought, and you simply bring your attention back to your breathe once you realize it ... once you notice that you're hating something about yourself, bring it back to thoughtful appreciation, and the ability to learn.  At the very least and in the long run, you'll give yourself the option of looking back on a lovely journey. 

~ Friday 12.02.16 @ 9:23am

Tony OrtizComment