Love’s Foundations

I would like to take some time this month to acknowledge the relationship between self-esteem and loving oneself, and being able to receive love from others. The very foundation of being loved is feeling worthy of the love you receive. So this month, let us reflect on those things we find most worthy of love in ourselves. No matter how small or seemingly insignificant to other people, it’s what we deem most valuable that counts. The things we’re proud of, even if they’re simple, ordinary things, are worth celebrating. This challenge offers a chance to build emotional resilience by focusing on what we value most in ourselves.

Habit:
Remind someone else of what you value in them.

Daily:
Read over your list of value and love, out loud if you can, silently if not. Take a moment to feel worthwhile.

To Do:
– Make a list. Write down 3-5 things you’re proud of in yourself. (These can be qualities you value in yourself, things you have achieved, or actions you choose to take. Are you proud of your positive outlook? The way you always try to help people? That time you brightened a stranger’s day? Here’s your chance to celebrate yourself.)
– Add, at the bottom of your list, “I am loved.” (You can specify, if it lifts your spirits, who it is that loves you, be it your parents, your children, your pets, your partner, your friends or your spiritual source.)
– Post your list somewhere you will see it every day.

Reflection:
I found this challenge to be nicely self-affirming, but from the feedback I received, I could tell it had a powerful impact on some people whose preexisting sense of self was not as strong as mine. Even with my own foundation of self-love, there was something a bit profound about reading my list aloud every day. This is what mine said:

I care about connecting with people and nurturing them.
I am self-disciplined.
I am braver than I used to be.
I make an effort to be authentic, vulnerable, and present.
I am patient.
I am well and deeply loved.

To me, these statements echo with authenticity, and make me feel good all over. Consider what things you’re proud of in yourself, that you hold profoundly true. Reflect on that. It is the gateway to accepting the love that others hold for you.