Loving yourself unapologetically is the greatest thing you can do for another.
Reread that sentence slowly. If everyone acted in soul-aligned, self-loving ways, what beauty could we create together? What happiness and harmony would ring throughout the world? Life would be magical for all. Instead, many of us seek acknowledgment or external love by bending into a pretzel of pain and misery.
Let’s debunk the myth that self-love is selfish. If supplemental oxygen is deemed necessary on a plane, step one is putting on your own oxygen mask. It’s important to make sure you’re receiving oxygen before you help others — if you’re breathing, you can help provide breath for someone else. The same is true for love — step one is self-love, filling your own cup.
Whether it’s your passion, rest, rejuvenation, alone time, nature, meditation, or something more, self-love “oxygen” is vital to your life. Connecting to this flow allows you to fill your cup and, once it’s overflowing, enables you to give to others without self-detriment.
Holding your breath while trying to help someone with their oxygen mask will lead to you passing out. While you can go through the motions of giving love, showing up, or caretaking with an empty cup, you can’t give endlessly without receiving. Whether it’s burnout, illness, or resentment, there is always a cost. The solution — self-love.
The greatest thing you can do for another is making self-love — and thereby your own happiness and joy — a priority. It allows you to show up in your grounded emotional strength, able to serve and love, with no strings attached. It allows you to love from a place of abundance, not lack. It allows you to give freely knowing it will not take a toll on your mental, emotional, or physical health. It sets you free. It sets your loved ones free. It heals all.
Self-love allows you to find love and acknowledgment from within, connecting you to your higher self and releasing the burden of impressing others or living by external standards. It provides a blueprint for effortless ease and joy in your world. It asks others to step into their own self-love power, to remove any negative cords of attachment. It’s empowering for all.
Begin your self-love journey by placing your hand on your heart and asking, “What’s the most loving thing I can do for myself today?” Be still and listen to the gentle voice within. Follow your guidance. Honor your path. Take the first step. Set yourself free!
