I often get asked how I managed to make such a major career change, overcome workaholism or find such an amazing, charismatic and loving husband. And I always conclude, after searching in my memory, that there is really only one thing which did it all. I started loving myself. 

We live in the world which is not very supportive of the concept of self-love. For various reasons, self-love is often considered selfish and not the right thing to feel. But when we act out of self-love, we make right choices for ourselves and we are so much better in loving others, too.

Simply, there is only one love. It is impossible to love others without loving ourselves first. It is impossible to give what we don’t have. And, since self-love works as a magnet, it also attracts love into our life!

The most important person to love in your life is You. Following simple tips can help you love yourself more:

Spend some time with your photo from childhood, ideally when you were 3 – 4 years old. Put it somewhere where you can see it.  Connect with that little girl or boy on the photo. What was he/she thinking? What were her/his dreams? Feel the innocence of the child, their love and their trust. You don’t need to do much more than that, simply let unfold what is supposed to unfold out of this connection.

Give yourself a gift, something you have been longing for a long time. Perhaps you hoped that your partner or parents would buy you this present, but they didn’t. Honor yourself and express your love for yourself by spending money on yourself. We often give so much time of our energy, time and money to others and we often neglect ourselves. Create a powerful love message to yourself by a present!

Find 1 activity which brings you joy and which is not an obligation. Make it part of your daily schedule. For example, reading of inspirational books, studying foreign language, playing with children, meditating, walking in nature. It may be as little as 10 minutes every day, but it will make a tremendous difference in your relationship to yourself.

Affirm regularly: “I am loveable. I am completely loveable. I am enough. I am a good person. I love myself. As my love for myself growths, my ability to love others increases.” Choose at least 1 of these affirmations which resonates with you most. Feel it in your body as you say it. Imagine as if it was already true.

The most important relationship we have is the relationship with ourselves. And every day is an opportunity to cultivate that relationship. Doubts, stress, and anxiety are sometimes part of our everyday life, but with a conscious effort, we can always return to the state of self-love, where stress and fear disappear.

We are the best versions of ourselves when we love ourselves. We meet right people and right opportunities present themselves. Love is a big magician. And it always starts with us.

The most important person to love is YOU.

 More blog posts on this topic: If You Really Loved Yourself, Our Body Image: A Friend or Enemy? 

This post is also available in: Czech