Honoring the Self
Would you like to know the secret of all secrets, the truth of all truths, the core of all happiness and the foundation of all amazing manifestations?
No, it's not anything new. You've heard it all before. You probably even stress its importance to others. But I wonder how well you're practicing it yourself?
I'm talking about your attention to your SELF. I'm talking about self-love, self-care, self-awareness and self-nurturing.
Ho-hum, yes, everywhere you turn you read articles and books on this subject. But maybe you don't realize why it's so important, so here are a few things to consider:
1. Every person, experience and challenge can be viewed as a mirror of your relationship with yourself. So if you're experiencing conflict, criticism or a lack of love, it may be a reminder that these are things that you need to shift in the way you are responding to yourself. Try asking yourself, "How can I be kinder, more patient, gentler and more loving in the way I speak to myself so that I attract more kindness and love from others?"
2. Nurturing the self with acts of self-care, acknowledging and expressing your feelings and allowing yourself the time and space to do things simply because they bring you joy can lead to a strong core of inner peace. That peaceful core will be the place you can always return to when life knocks you out of it, and you'll depend less on others to make you feel happy and loved.
3. Caring for others is a wonderful expression of your caring and compassionate heart, but when that care of others comes at the expense of caring for yourself, you may eventually find yourself drained, burned-out and resentful. Taking care of YOU is the best way to make sure you have the energy and motivation to care for others. What's selfish about that?
4. Acknowledging, validating and expressing your feelings is a vital aspect of self-care. When you diminish the importance of your feelings and put everyone else's first, you are diminishing the importance of your SELF. You're saying, "I don't matter," and that energy can attract others who treat you the same way. Additionally, the energy of expressed feelings and emotions can move and dissipate. Unexpressed feelings get trapped and can affect you emotionally and physically.
5. Taking care of the SELF means you are valuing who you are and what you have to express in the world, so if you want to attract more abundance and success, it's vital that your belief system in yourself is in alignment with what you'd like others to believe. If you don't value yourself, it's unlikely that anyone else will.
Is this something you'd like to work on? Start small. Schedule 10 minutes of self-care into your day. Take a walk, meditate, do something creative, call a friend, ask yourself, "What do I need today?" Make it a priority, make it a habit, and build on it. You're worth it.
