The self-love journey is a key part to achieving happiness and fulfillment in life. We often try to perfect ourselves and every aspect of our lives, but it’s impossible. Perfection is unachievable, so why are we so hard on ourselves when we aren’t perfect? Self-love isn’t creating a more perfect version of yourself, it’s accepting who you are and realizing you’ll never be anyone else. Focus on yourself, and your own inner growth and development and you’ll find that self-love will come naturally.
One obstacle in the self-love journey is social media. In the modern day of technology, it's easy to get caught up in the idea that online praise gives one a greater self worth. Some people will get 400 likes on a photo, and another person may get 4 likes on a photo; but the person with 4 likes isn’t worth any less as a person because the don't have as many likes, followers, or comments. Your self worth is dictated by you. You are of worth and importance because you decide to be. No one has to validate your worth, and no one ever will because you define it. So whether you get 400 likes or four, you are still important and a beautiful person inside and out. Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy”, and that phrase could not be more true in today’s fabricated online community.
One of the major ideas behind self worth is knowing that everyone is deserving of love no matter the circumstances, and knowing that compliments, likes, favorites, retweets, comments, etc. don’t add or subtract anything from who you truly are. Once you know your worth, it is important to accept that person who is worth so much. Ask yourself, what are my favorite qualities, what are my least favorite, and which can I change to become a better person without sacrificing my true self? One of my favorite qualities about myself is that I am understanding and there for others in times of need. One of my least favorite qualities about myself is that I am more shy around new people. The latter quality is something I can work on changing while still remaining true to myself. The next time I meet someone new, I can try to be more open and try to get to know him/her better from the start. A quality I don’t necessarily love about myself is that I’m an introvert. I always have been and always will be, and that is a key part of my personality, so I would be sacrificing my true self to try to be an extrovert. But self love isn’t about loving every part of yourself, it is accepting who you are and appreciating every quality that makes you who you are.
Take time this summer to get to know yourself better and treat yourself well. It’s easy to put your happiness and well-being on the back burner when life gets busy, but make sure you take time to relax, do what you love, and appreciate yourself for all that you do.
