Loving yourself

To love your neighbor as yourself you must first know how to love YOU. You can't forget about yourself and still think that you are able to love others. Or you will end up giving what you don't have.  

How do you feel about yourself? Go to the bottom and bring love to every neglected part. Shine light on all your least desirable qualities and love yourself. Go to every obscure territory, the parts that you are the least proud of and love yourself. Exclude nothing. Accept everything.

Love every flaw about you. Love every mistake you've made. Love that you think others are better than you. Love that you think you are better than others. Love that you don't understand your emotions. Love yourself for loosing control. Love yourself for thinking that you fail at being a human. 

Love yourself for not finding the love of your life or for loosing it or for having it but not realizing it. Love that you think your feet are ugly. Love that you think your feet are prettier than others'. Love that you have lousy eating habits. Love yourself for not doing enough for the environment. Love yourself for feeling guilty about it. Love yourself for still not doing more. 

Love yourself for being overweight. Love that you think you haven't been a good enough parent. Love that you think that you weren't a good enough child. Love yourself for thinking that you are a victim.  Love yourself for thinking that you have to suffer. Love yourself for watching others suffer and not being able to do anything about it. Love yourself for feeling despair about the world. 

Love that you think of yourself first and that you are disappointed about it. Love that you can't say no and do too much and then feel bad. Love yourself for trying to suppress your true feelings. Love yourself for lying to yourself. Love that you resent others for not being able to set limits for them. Love yourself for trying to look perfect in others' eyes while knowing you are not.

Love that you blame others for your mistakes. Love yourself for being complacent. Love that you get upset when others are in your way. Love yourself for reading this. Love yourself for thinking you don't need to love yourself. Love yourself for making a commitment to never desert yourself ever again and then find that you have once a gain deserted yourself. 

Love yourself for pretending to be loving when you're not. 

Love yourself for not loving yourself. 

Love yourself the way you are. Unconditionally. Find out what unconditional love is. Start today.

Until you feel unconditional love for yourself you can't feel it for anyone else. It all starts with you. Start now. It is not selfish. It is the most selfless journey you can undertake. Selfishness comes form the mistaken idea that we have to secure our love and sustenance. 

When you feel love already there is no need to secure it from anything or anyone. That's when you are free to truly love others. 

When you love yourself unconditionally your love for others will come automatically. Not because it's expected from you, not because it's "good", but because that's how you truly feel. They will simply inspire love in you and everyone around you will grow from the love you give. 

Check in with yourself often. Do you love yourself completely and fully? Not just the good parts but the bad ones too. 

It's never too late or too early. The perfect time is always now.