4 Steps to Practice Self-love
Angela Catenaro
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Are you looking for that “something more?” If so, stop searching and look within! It starts with you! Feeling more love in your life starts with you. The more you learn to love yourself, the more love you will be able to feel and share with the world. Love and acceptance are not concepts that can be satisfied by the external world. Yes, we all desire to be loved by our partner, friends, and family, but the key is that this kind of love will never feel fulfilling to your soul unless you truly learn to embrace your true self. Disappointment and dissatisfaction in your relationships is a sign that connection is needed within. Completeness can only come when you have peeled away the layers with an open heart to your “Self”. And when you do, you will be amazed at the possibilities and the opportunities that will be presented to you as you learn how to open your heart to your “Self”, to life, and to others! Here are 4 Steps to Practice Self-love: 1. Stop making other people’s feelings your responsibility. How someone feels is not your fault. Stop managing other people’s feelings and reactions. You are not in control of others, no matter what they put onto you. You can only manage and control yourself. Practice paying more attention to your thoughts, words and actions than to others. What are you thinking? Is what you are thinking in alignment with your words and actions? Are you expressing yourself in a truthful, loving manner? Or do you hide your true feelings in fear of someone else’s reaction to you? 2. Let go of the expectation that someone else is to make you happy. Your happiness is your own personal responsibility. If you feel dissatisfied with yourself or your life, could you choose to observe your thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs towards yourself and your current life circumstances. If you are not happy, it is not the outside world that is causing it, it is something within you. The good news is you are the only one who can change your circumstances. This self-responsibility might bring some hard choices, but could you make a decision for your highest good. When you release your expectation that someone else is responsible for any aspect of your life, you will see miracles happen! 3. Be your Authentic self. Stop trying to fit into the box that someone else, or your own little self wants you to fit in. Who are you? What do you enjoy? What makes your heart sing? What have you been denying in order to fit in or please the outside world? 4. Stop doing and start Being. Be aware of who you are and BE who you are. Stop doing what you define as acts of a “good” person – BE a good person. Stop identifying what you see as “wrong” and start seeing what is “good”. Stop doing kind and loving things, BE kind and loving. As Mahatma Gandhi had shared – BE the change you desire to see in the world. Being open to loving yourself helps you become more open to love to and from others! ~ ~ ~ Angela Catenaro A Drop of Loving Kindess |