5 Simple Steps to Love Yourself Even Better

 

Challenge Yourself to 'Become' You are, undoubtedly, worthy of the greatest love of all.. and it's up to you (not anyone else) to think highly enough of yourself to show yourself that love first.   It's up to you to give yourself what you need and to create the life you desire - we do, after all, only get one kick at this can.   Knowing what you want for yourself, understanding your motivations, recognizing your unique talents and gifts, and then cultivating your life in a way that best calls forth all of those gifts, and aligns with your passions and purpose, can be difficult work.   It's also an ongoing process.   We are all 'works in progress,' if you will.   We're all on a journey of becoming the very best people we can be.   Day by day, experience by experience, milestone by milestone, and one success (and failure) after another - we are becoming.  Becoming something stronger. Something bigger, brighter, more... And to get to that point of self-awareness might take a bit of introspection, reflection, and even purposeful intention to 'put it all together' for ourselves. When you love yourself and accept yourself for the incredible, unique, one-of-a-kind creation (of love and passion) that you are, you'll build an unshakeable sense of confidence that radiates outward and attracts abundance to you. It's beyond powerful. It also helps to recognize the 'progress' (rather than being focused on perfection) and how far we've come along that path.  Learning, sharing, and growing as we go - and doing the very best we can from where we are.  Here are 5 Helpful Steps to Cultivate Self-Love 1. Be Conscious of What You Consume Creating time in your daily and weekly schedule to nurture and care for your physical, mental, and soulful needs will enhance your self-esteem, build your confidence, and ignite your energy too.  If you don't already have a self-care routine that you practice, don't wait a moment longer.  Create one for yourself.  Begin by becoming more aware of what you're consuming each day - not just what you eat or drink.  Become more discerning about what and whom you allow into your life and what you expose yourself to.  Consider what you watch and listen to.  Is the information you're consuming worthy of your time? Consider your social media feeds. How much time are you spending mindlessly scrolling? Can you invest some of that time doing something more positive, fulfilling, or productive?   Evaluate your friendships and close personal relationships. Are they built on a solid foundation of love and reciprocity?   Set healthy boundaries - and then stay true to them. Making healthy, intentional, and conscious choices that support what you want is empowering and will help you understand your own worth and the value you bring to the world. This is YOUR life and you get to choose how you want to live it.  A positive affirmation to help: I honour my body with quality in every form. I endeavour to expand my mind with knowledge and nourish my soul each day.  I choose to consume things that bring me health, wellness and joy.

2. Connect With Your Spiritual Side With the demands of our families, careers, and everything else that causes stress in our lives, we tend to lose our connection with our soulful selves, leaving us feeling anxious and even depressed.   It's important to feel connected to something bigger than yourself - whatever that may mean for you - it could be your faith, your intuition, Spirit, the Universe - or on a soulful level, who you truly are at your core.   You can try different things to tap into your soulful self: Guided Meditation Journaling Yoga or gentle stretching Aromatherapy Hydrotherapy Nature walks Listening to Inspirational content (podcasts, webinars) Reading spiritual, philosophical, or inspirational books You'll learn or rediscover things about your beliefs, your character, and your core values that'll help you appreciate yourself on a deeper level - empowering you to express even more facets of who you truly are.    A positive affirmation to help: I risk nothing by being myself.  I am light. I am love. I am a shining star.  3. Connect With Community Community is a powerful gift.  Think back to our hunting-gathering heritage when entire tribes of people worked together as a team.  Everyone had their particular role to play and each role was valued because the unit didn't function effectively when the  Hunters didn't bring home the meat Gathers didn't cultivate the supporting sustenance  Crafters didn't make the garments and the  Water bearers didn't haul the water Fire tenders didn't keep the fires burning You get the point. Tribespeople did everything together, in groups, supporting one another, caring for each other and being there through the thick and thin of everyday life.  When it comes to self-love and community, it's important to select your community - who you let into your 'inner circle' with discernment.  Choose to connect with like-minded, solution-oriented people who support you unfailingly, encourage you to chase your dreams and goals, and inspire you to become the best person you can be.  Since we all have an innate need to belong, that connection to your community will help you to feel part of something bigger than yourself, accepted and valued for who you are, and cherished for the incredible gifts you have to share because of who you are.  If you're feeling a little like a lone wolf and your circle could use some expanding, seek out workshops or networking events, take a step to meet some new people and make new friends. There are plenty of opportunities in this 'connected' world to make deeper, more meaningful connections with people on the same journey as you are.    A positive affirmation to help: I welcome positive people and experiences that help me grow and heal in powerful ways.    4. Forgive & Let Go Forgiving is difficult. It's especially so in the event of a particularly painful experience.   We tend to hold onto painful events, past hurts, grief, and trauma.  Keeping these 'old emotions' bound to us, however, only serves to weigh us down, sap our energy and rob us of the joy we can experience.  Holding onto pain can also cause feelings of low self-esteem and self-doubt, and can even result in sickness and disease.  When we release the heaviness in our hearts and forgive for the purposes of moving forward, unburdened, we are taking this step for our own self-love, not because we're saying that what happened was or is acceptable.   A letter to yourself or to the person who's caused your pain or a journal exercise can help you release the pain or trauma through the process of writing it out, effecting an energetic release. Here's how: Express the incident or experience in writing - a letter, a notebook, a journal, an e-mail, or an electronic document Acknowledge your feelings the experience caused Ask for an apology Send the letter or e-mail off if you'd like a reply OR Simply destroy the letter (burning, cutting it up), releasing that pain and burden Set your soul free through the power of forgiveness.  Forgiving will heal your heart. A positive affirmation to help: I love myself enough to refuse to allow the actions of another (or insert name) to take up any more time, space, or energy in my mind, body or soul. I release that negative experience and all the negatity associated with it fully and completely to move powerfully and confidently forward with my life. 5. Make A List This is an action step I have those who come to me for help finding their soul-level life partner - it's the very first step to recognizing your value.  Make a list of all the things you love about yourself.   I'll bet, it's super simple to list out a whole bunch of things you don't particularly like about yourself, but it's a different lens to employ when it comes to the positives.  I challenge you to list at least 100 things -  Unique Characteristics Positive Personality Traits Talents - the secret ones you've been hiding too ;) Natural aptitudes Strengths Write out all the things you love and like about yourself - everything that contributes in a positive way to the people you know and love. Write it ALL out.  When you finish this exercise - have a good look at it.  This is what you bring to the relationship table when you befriend a new friend or begin a new relationship.  If you're a parent and have a child going through some tough times with their friends at school, I highly encourage you to have them complete exercise.  It'll immediately create a compelling visual about ALL the things they have to be proud of themselves for.  And the same goes for you.  Creating this list will help you recognize your wonderful qualities and characteristics, your unique gifts, innate talents, and awesome abilities.  This exercise will help you see yourself for the beautiful soul you truly are and embrace what makes you so unique and special. You are an incredible masterpiece - a work of art, a product of love and light.  You actually have stardust within the cellular makeup of your body - let that sit for a minute.   If you think about it, it's absolutely mindblowing that YOU are here at this very moment.   Never in all the history of humanity has there ever been another you.   Never will there ever be.   Never will another have your combination of genes, your combination of talents, unique hopes, dreams, and aspirations - your path through this life is yours to discover, experience, and create for yourself.   You hold the paintbrush.  You get to create your Masterpiece Life. Make your list today and revisit it often - especially if you need a bit of confidence boost when you're down - that list will remind you of how amazing you are. So... what is it that YOU want for yourself while you're here for this brief time?       A Gift For You Is it time? Do you hear that little voice whispering:  'You're destined for more' in your life? Well, you absolutely can have it all:  A vibrant healthy lifestyle that fills you with ENERGY A happy home life that gives you SANCTUARY (rather than chaos) and LOVING relationships that fill your heart  A rewarding BUSINESS/CAREER that fills you with pride and purpose FREEDOM that Financial Security brings Whatever it is that you want for yourself, you CAN have it - and I'd be delighted to help. START HERE with this simple 1st step: Schedule your 'Meant for More' Free Focus Session with me today and we'll discuss what you'd like to create for yourself this year (it's not too late to get started and see real results).   By the end of our private session you'll have:  Crystal Clarity about what to do next A Customized Action Plan designed just for you Some tools and resources to help you on your way  Simply send a private message or e-mail andrea@coachforlife.ca to schedule your Free Session today.  About the Author Andrea Raco is a Certified Success & Life Enrichment Coach, a Business Strategist, and a Copywriter.   She's also the Founder of Coach for Life & The Copy Doc and the Curator of Gold Key Club - a private Facebook community for women on a mission to make a difference in the world with their unique talents and gifts.  She'd be delighted if you'd join her there. For more information about her services, find her on Facebook or visit her Website. You can also contact her privately via email:  andrea@coachforlife.ca.