Love for yourself.

True love for yourself is believing that you inherently have value. It is believing that what you have to offer the world at your best is worth something. True love for yourself is unconditional. True love for yourself requires forgiveness.

In my work with clients, I have found that developing true love for oneself is the key to unlocking positive life changes. The reason is simple - because of the difficulty in consistently making good lifestyle choices, a person must FIRST believe that what they have to offer at their best is worth something. If that is not established, it is impossible to sustain good choices when confronted with temptation or laziness. A person may be temporarily motivated by an image of a physical aesthetic or an inspirational video, but it will not last - a long-term trajectory of positive decision making first requires a deep and authentic love for oneself. 

To establish this love is layered and is a discussion probably more fit for a book than a short blog post. However, I think there are a few quick points worth noting. First, the idea of loving yourself has little to do with your ego. As mentioned earlier, true love for yourself is unconditional - it is independent of your bank account or your biceps. Secondly, to develop true love for yourself, forgiveness is paramount. An individual must let go of the guilt of past decision making and often the shame/victimhood associated with past events that were outside of their control. 

Finally, the realization and belief in one’s own inherent value can be the result of many things but I think most often stems from spiritual exploration.  I encourage clients to seek out and remain open-minded to a variety of philosophical/spiritual teachings, to dedicate time for stillness, and to remember that the “paths to God are infinite.”