Are you too hard on yourself? Do you beat yourself down for your mistakes and errors in judgments? Don’t worry! You are not alone! We all tend to hold onto our shortcomings and conveniently forget our successes and positive qualities.
While we find it easy to love others, it’s much more challenging to appreciate and love ourselves. We allow others to take advantage of us. We tolerate unhealthy relationships. We overeat. We waste our valuable time. We set goals that are far beneath our capabilities. Thus creating an unhappy mediocre life for us! You see we can never outperform our own self-image. If we see ourselves as a 2 the world will not raise our value to a 10. So if we really want to transform our life we must raise our self-image. And to do that we must give ourselves the love we deserve!
Here are some quick and easy ways to love yourself and build your self-image:
- Know that you matter. Understand that you matter to the world. Your opinions matter. Your work matters. Your mere presence matters. Know that you have already touched numerous lives in a positive way even though you may not be fully aware of your contribution.
- Be aware that your mistakes don’t define you. Your mistakes may have influenced your life, but they don’t define your life or you. It doesn’t matter how many mistakes you have made as long as you have learnt your lessons and moved on.
- Forgive those who have hurt you. Forgiving doesn’t mean that you have to let them back into your life or give them another chance. It just means that you are not going to spend any more time or mental energy holding onto your anger. Be good to yourself and let it go. You will not only impress yourself with your inner strength but also enjoy the relief that forgiveness brings. Remember! Not forgiving people and holding onto the anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.
- Bask in the complements that you have received. The most meaningful compliments are those that ring true in the depth of your soul. It’s exciting when someone else recognizes the best that we have to offer the world.
- Stand up for something you believe in. Be bold in your opinion of what’s right and wrong. Be willing to share your interests and hobbies with others. Be proud of what’s most important to you. Remember! When you love yourself, you can do what interests you without the need for approval from others.
- Appreciate yourself. Make an effort to be kind to yourself and appreciate yourself for the good in you. Acknowledge your strengths and virtues. Be grateful for them too.
- Serve Intentionally & Unconditionally. We all admire those that give unconditionally. You can admire yourself by spending some time each week to make someone else’s life a little easier or more pleasant. Find a charity or social organization that addresses a cause that’s near and dear to your heart and do some voluntary work with them.
- Take care of yourself. Make an effort to look your best because you are worth the time and effort. Take care of your needs. Don’t neglect yourself in the pursuit to make others happy.
- Treat yourself. Take the trip you have been putting off. Buy yourself that book. Treat yourself to a spa. Take a class on a topic that interests you. Buy something that will give you real joy. Don’t do it as a reward. Do it just because you are worth it.
- Remind yourself of your successes. I am sure you have done lots of great things in your life. Remind yourself of them and encourage yourself to create more such experiences in your life. Just know that you are wonderful!
We were taught as children to love others. It’s about time you applied the same rule to yourself. Everyone benefits when you love yourself more. Your self-image is improved. You are happier and at your best. You can do more for others and be more inspiring. So take the time to love yourself fully because you are truly worth it. Unleash the magic within!
