Hurray, it’s the third month in 2024! Who would have thought that 60 days had gone by in these seemingly few minutes? Being alive and in good health is always something to express profound gratitude to our Maker for, it never goes out of fashion. In the spirit of thanksgiving, can you just exhale a “thank you” before you continue reading the post? Yeah, that’s a good one!
Right, I know it’s been weeks since my last post! I trust that you’ve experienced growth and everything good in those weeks. Valentine’s Celebration is also something to recall, and I believe you had a great time giving and receiving love, while also expressing kindness without holding back. Remember, love is not just for February alone, it’s a lifetime expression!
I thought of a good way to begin March 2024, and what came to mind is still the matter of Love! However, we are not even going into the deep waters yet, we’re starting right from the basis. We are launching the expression with you, my dear reader. It’s not for any other reason, but because when we are touching on good things, you deserve to be right at the centre, yes oo, of all things, including Love.
Has it ever occurred to you that when the subject of Love is mentioned, it applies to you, yes, you, before rolling out the carpet to others? If you haven’t thought about it before, it’s fine. That is something I’m here to help you discover and run with starting today, so please join me in this eye-opening ride.
It is so sad that self-love has often been misinterpreted and shown in a negative light, often to reflect selfishness, self-centredness, self-gratification, and the like. When you sometimes mention Self-love, the look that greets you from people is often that of judgment. However, there are some things you should know about Self-Love beyond the different negative narratives it currently has, which I’ll be pointing out in the coming paragraphs. Are you ready?
First, you need to know that Self-love is one of the biggest gifts you can give yourself. It is a gift that flows from a place of a high sense of value and appreciation for oneself. When you talk about doing yourself a huge favour, you need to place self-love at the top of the list. So, I’ll toss this question to you, how much love have you showered on yourself?
Dear one, self-love goes deep to seeing yourself the way your Maker sees you, appreciating the fearfully and wonderfully made, complete, plus everything, minus nothing (as some people will say when hyping themselves) being that you are. As hilarious as these hypes sound sometimes, they refer to a reality that we should always have at the back of our minds and express in all we do. Hey, let me hype you a little; you have been made whole in God, you are complete in yourself, and you are giving 100! Know that and be grateful!
You see, it is one thing to have an idea or knowledge of something, then a different thing to bring it to life by letting it reflect in all your actions. Many people know that they are super-beings, but they fail to allow it to show forth in how they live their lives. They are one to always bend to the voice of fear or other negativities that are thrown at them. Treat yourself as one who is complete, that’s self-love.
The way you treat yourself speaks volumes on the level of worth you place on yourself. Do you know where it gets interesting? That same level of value is what other people will measure out to you. You don’t accord yourself so much regard, but you expect other people to do the same? How exactly is that done? Love yourself first, and see other people replicate the energy.
Self-love is also seen in knowing your boundaries and respecting them. When your boundaries are set, your value systems are clear-cut and not compromised, other people will learn to go with the flow. Has anything jumped at you from the past few sentences? The work begins with you before the effect can rub off on other people, courtesy of the result they see you showing.
As someone who understands his or her self-worth, you cannot be seen letting your guard down on the very standards and values you uphold. Why will you hold excellence in high esteem and then be seen settling for an average performance at some point? No, that should never be you! Stay true to who you have been called to be. Let your yay be yay, and let your nay stay as nay! Be known for your firm stance, and let your work speak for you in the gates!
The positive lights that self-love exudes can never be exhausted, you keep seeing other reflections. It is also paying attention to your strengths and working on your weaknesses, without giving room to low self-esteem. Strengths and weaknesses are things to be grateful for, do you argue otherwise? I’ll tell you how in the next paragraph.
Your strengths open your eyes to the level of the capacity deposited in you that has been discovered, while your weaknesses tell you about potential capacities that are yet to be tapped into and utilized. Do you now see why your weaknesses are not to make you discouraged but to motivate you to evolve towards a better version of yourself? Of course, Self-love brings you to that point of discovery.
Self-love is also shown in extending a hand of forgiveness to yourself. Yes, there are things you might have previously done that you are not in any way proud of. However, they should never become a stumbling block to the better things that you can do moving forward. Love yourself enough to let go of regrets, hurt, pain, shame, and self-sabotage.
Now that you are aware of some of the many faces self-love wears, how do you get to practice self-love more often than you’ve been doing? How do you show your being more dedication and commitment? How do you pay more attention to recognizing who you are currently, enough to give room for the growth that you desire? Let’s discuss that in some points as well.
Let this mind be in you, my dear one; you are loved at home! Self-love begins first with a transformation in your mind before it becomes a reality that you live and walk in. You have already been loved with a kind of love that can never fade out no matter how you might try to judge yourself; the love is just unconditional. See yourself as one who is already loved, and let that love flow into your spirit and recondition your being.
Be grateful for who you have been created to be, especially for those things that you cannot change, such as your height, skin colour, etc. Don’t be so caught up in trying to fit into the world’s narrative of how an ideal body appearance should look that you lose sight of your unique structure.
Why should you try so hard to change things that you had no say in when you were being formed? You, a whole perfect creation that the Creator spent time depositing virtues in! Come on, raise your chin and your shoulders high! You are perfect like that!
Cultivate the culture of celebrating your wins first, no matter how little the win may be. Counting your blessings and wins opens you up to a new level of gratitude, knowing that there is so much more you can do. You don’t need to wait for other people’s validations or opinions before you learn to appreciate what you are doing. Be your own biggest cheerleader!
Allow yourself to enjoy your growth process, without any external intimidation or pressure. Don’t become a shadow of another person’s reality. Work on your growth, draw the lessons, and run with them at your own pace. Let each growth stage draw you to a place of gratitude, not one filled with headaches and voices that make you cave in to low self-esteem or go back to where you started.
Prioritize your all-round health; talk of the physical, mental/emotional, social, spiritual, and every other class you could possibly give health. It is God’s will that you prosper and be in good health. Love yourself enough to get rest when your body demands it. Even when your body is not making a demand, please try to take a break.
Give yourself a calm mental space. When there are so many things popping up in your mind at the same time, it wears you out and makes you feel anxious. Rather than trying to get upset due to the many thoughts in your head, take steps towards getting the issues solved, one step at a time.
The last thing I will touch on before dropping my pen is to guard your personal space jealously. Love yourself enough to allow only positive-minded people who are all about supporting one another into your space, not firefighters. Discern every voice of discouragement around you and stay away from them. You have that much power over your space, so you can decide what comes in and what goes out.
I am so glad to have been able to reach out to you today. Of course, I had a good time compiling this post, and I hope you would enjoy the same while reading. I look forward to getting your comments and feedback. Till I reach out again soon, stay positive. You are always loved!
