Why Is It Important to Like Yourself?
To love yourself you need to first like yourself
Nobody is ever, truly, alone.
Why? Because no matter where you go, there you are. Or in other words – you always have yourself.
Here’s the thing – your entire life, you have yourself. That means that you have all that you are, good, bad, and otherwise, always with you.
For many people, that’s disconcerting. You have yourself – but isn’t that a lonely proposition? If you only have yourself, what does that mean?
You don’t only have yourself. You always have yourself. Yes, you will change along the way, and who you were before is not who you are now nor who you will be. But no matter how much time passes or what happens along the way – you’ll always have you.
Self-like, like self-love, is not selfish
Let’s cross one of the biggest hurdles with this notion. It is not selfish to like yourself.
There is a big, big difference between you liking yourself and narcissism, arrogance, conceit, egoism, and the like.
Self-like is a product of self-respect and self-care. You be yourself and work on being the best you that you can be. That means you don’t lack compassion, kindness, caring, or empathy for others.
The empowerment when you like yourself
Because you are always with yourself, and spending the whole time you occupy that body with you, doesn’t it make sense that you like yourself?
Of course, it does. And when you learn to like yourself you become more empowered to be, have, and do the things you desire to.
How does liking yourself empower you? Because when you like yourself you are better able to connect with your mindset/headspace/psyche inner being. Which is your conscious self.
When you are more aware of your conscious awareness, you’re in a better position to use mindfulness to control what you’re thinking, what and how you’re feeling, what your intentions are, and any actions you take. That, ultimately, empowers you.
Why like yourself? Because you are the only you that there is. You’re the only you that will ever be. And the reality of this fact is that you’re amazing.
You’re not just likable, but lovable
When you learn to like yourself, it becomes easier to learn to love yourself.
But love is bigger than that. Love is the sun in trees, the dew on the grass, and life itself. Love is a powerful force of creativity that is akin to the Force – but without a dark side.
That begins with mindfulness – conscious awareness - of you. You can choose to change anything about your inner being that you’re not so fond of.
This week’s Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool:
Either on a computer or on paper/in a journal, write out 5 things that you like about yourself.
Do not prejudge anything you might write – big or small, tangible or intangible, seemingly petty, self-indulgent, or whatever – don’t disregard it if it's something that you like about yourself.
Detail why you like these things about yourself. Again, no judgment – self-aggrandize here.
Do this once a week for the next month.
Keep this and refer to it – reread it – anytime you are down on yourself or otherwise displeased with your life.
Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com
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