Toy Story puts it quite eloquently, “you’ve got a friend in me.”
Even though kindness to others is important, what about treating yourself with the same respect?
What the statement above forgets to mention is the importance of loving yourself, and not being your own worst enemy. We tend to be our own toughest critics and bring ourselves down. It is easy to find our own faults introspectively, and on the outside they are microscopic. So what is all this talk about self-love?
Self-love is the ability to turn off that little voice in your head that devalues your awesomeness. Nobody is perfect, if you are human, and life is about embracing those imperfections. Sometimes, we must be able to laugh at ourselves to build our own confidence. When we can make light out of our quirks then others learn to love them too. We must love ourselves first before we can love others.
“It’s all about falling in love
with yourself and sharing that love
with someone who appreciates you,
rather than looking for love to
compensate for a self love deficit.”
—Eartha Kitt
Often times this concept is easier said than done, and like most tasks it takes some readjustment. You must be able to see the beauty that you have to focus on rather than the things that hold you back. Just like the power of yes can take you far in life, so can the words what I like about me is (fill in the blank). We have to fake it until we make it, and enough reinforcement of these affirmations makes those words become your truth.
Fill the world with your light, and others will gravitate towards it. The ability to love yourself is a flower; it needs water, sunlight, and love. When the flower blooms, the butterflies (friends, family, and those around you) will come. Remember: you’ve got a friend in you, because others may come and go, but you always have yourself to rely on. When you have mastered the art of self-love, you have achieved the ability to find the confidence you need to succeed.