Love Yourself

This blog is not for me; it’s for you.

First off…Several of my friends make fun of me for being in love with myself, and that’s fine. So, if you are one of them, get ready to let the jokes begin…

Lately I have spent a lot of time reflecting on self-love, self-respect, and self-worth. You may be thinking, “Doesn’t Erin always think about that?” Well, you’d be surprised. Yeah, I think about it a lot and hold myself in a high regard, but in the past I have had my fair share of lack of self-respect and times where I question my self-worth. The only thing that doesn’t change is the fact that I love myself--no matter what--no matter if I feel like no one else does…I do! And honestly, if I love myself, that’s all I need.  Don’t get me wrong: “need” and “want” are two totally different things. I want the whole world to love me as much as I love myself. I want the never-ending love of my family, of my friends, and potentially of a love relationship, and I know that because I love ME they, too, will also love me.

Here’s where YOU come in…

Unfortunately, I have a feeling that I am a minority when it comes to self-love. Throughout my adult life I have witnessed numerous friends struggle with self-love and a large amount of them have been over the past couple of months. They question their value; they aren’t in love with themselves, and they definitely don’t believe that they deserve love from themselves or from others. Let me ask you this: If you don’t believe in yourself and love yourself unconditionally, why in the world would you expect someone else to believe in you and/or love you? More times than not we are so wrapped up in gaining the acceptance of others, of “winning” someone over (be it in our personal lives or our business lives), and finding self-validation from others, that we forget who really matters. We forget that we must focus on ourselves first, accept who we are despite what others tell us, and always be in love with ourselves before we can expect (and accept) the love of others.  Ultimately, you are the only validation of YOU that you need. I understand it’s easier said than done, but, believe me, it’s worth the time and effort. Find who you are; accept who you are; love who you are!!! And, if you are still struggling with this, think about someone who you love that loves you. If they are that amazing of a person to deserve your love and they love you in return, then YOU are definitely worthy of your love as well, right??!!!

(Get ready, here is where you may make fun of me, and again, it’s ok J…) There is not a day that goes by that I don’t confess my undying love for myself in the mirror. (And honestly almost every time I look in the mirror, I tell myself “I love you,” “You are beautiful,” and/or “You are worthy of all that this life has to offer you.”) Take yesterday morning: I was in the bathroom straightening my hair and listening to the radio. A song entitled “Gimme That Girl” by Joe Nichols came on. Of course I proceeded to sing the song to myself in the mirror, smiling to myself, and loving myself for who I am, what I stand for, and for just being ME. And boy, was I feeling like a million bucks all day!

Afterwards I decided to write this blog. I am not writing it to prove to anyone that I love me. I don’t need anyone’s validation of how I feel about myself. I am writing this to challenge you to love yourself with every ounce of who are you. If you believe you are beautiful and worthy and amazing, others will believe so too.  If you start loving yourself for who you ARE and not for what others think you should be and demand that love from others, everyone (who matters) will love you for who you ARE as well. If you respect yourself and demand that same respect from others, you will be respected. You are only as worthy as you believe you are. If you don’t hold yourself in a high regard, others won’t either.

So, go find a mirror right now. Look at yourself…smile…fall in love with YOU all over again. Talk to yourself- out loud- telling yourself all the amazing things about who you are, what you stand for, and why you ARE worthy of your love and the love of others. Say “I love you” as you look into your eyes. Focus on the positives and let go of all the negatives. And, don’t just do it this time; do it every time you see your beautiful self. You are beautiful, and, when you believe that, others will believe that as well!

Love yourself! Respect yourself! Why wouldn’t you?! You are worthy. You are beautiful. You are everything you believe yourself to be!!! Honestly, at the end of the day, you don’t owe anyone anything, but you owe yourself EVERYTHING! <3