Learn to Love Yourself

Posted by Marlene in Marlene's Feel Good Blog | 0 comments

Jan 17, 12

Here’s Something New to Feel Good About Today!

“You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy.” Anonymous

Do you think the idea of “loving yourself” sounds selfish? What important life lesson have you experienced that helped you learn to value yourself? Share your story so we can all learn to love ourselves more.

I grew up the youngest of three girls in a suburban town outside of Boston. My parents did their best to provide everything we needed. It was a comfortable life, materially nothing was lacking. I seemed to have it all; a closet full of the latest fashionable clothes, summer camps, and holiday vacations. At school some of my peers envied me, especially when I came back from spring break with a tan. From the outside, I appeared to have it all, but inside I was lacking something crucial to living a happy life, a positive self image. When I looked at myself in the mirror I felt empty and unhappy. I had no idea of who I was or what brought joy to life.

Great clothes, ballet, singing, and piano lessons, did not fill the void I felt inside myself. Even though my mom told me early on that I was an artist, I had so little confidence and such low self esteem that I denied believing that it was true. Instead I compared myself to others and always came up lacking. It wasn’t until my late twenties that I began to search and discover the parts of me that I have learned to value and appreciate most about myself.

Nothing can take the place of a positive self image. It’s something we can’t fake, even if we “act as if” we have one. It might have been wonderful to have had parents who knew how to help me cultivate feelings of self worth. They were really good people who simply didn’t know how. As a result, building self esteem has become my lifelong lesson. Today as I continue to evolve and grow, I can acknowledge, value and really appreciate the woman I see in the mirror each day. I understand that feeling good about myself, is a lifelong process never to be rushed only to be embraced with time.

How would you rate your self-image on a scale of one to ten? Tell us about it by making a comment. In the next few blog posts let’s explore what it means to have a good self-image and how we can all boost our feelings of self worth.

Find Something New to Feel Good About Everyday!

Photo by peacefulplanetcommunication.com