Self-Love, The Game Changer
When you start practicing self-love and giving yourself the love you are looking for from others, it changes everything! I know, I know, it sounds cliche, but it's deeper than that.
I can't tell you how many times I went out looking for love in all of the wrong places and wanting it from all of the wrong people just because I felt that was the missing piece in my life. I settled for people and situationshps that weren't right for me. I didn't want to accept the path that God was trying to pave for me. I wanted what I wanted, a relationship and love, and I thought it was up to me to find it.
After all, our society is built around two people coming together, "falling in love" and creating a life together, as if that is the easy recipe to living happily ever after. Most of us have childhood wounds we need to heal from, and unfortunately, they play a part in every failed relationship we've had. When you have mother/father wounds where there was not consistent love and affection as a child, it impacts you and your relationships as an adult. It causes a desire for love from others, and causes you to make decisions based on that desire that isn't aligned with you. There are a lot of unhealed individuals out there who move from relationship to relationship carrying their heavy baggage everywhere they go, expecting their partner to be the answer that heals them. When in truth, loving ourselves is a prerequisite for extending compassion and love to others. Most times we want someone else to heal us and make us feel better about ourselves, when only we hold the key to that.
However, one day it hit me, I was trying to force a way for myself that was not meant to be at that time. Furthermore, I wasn't truly appreciating and enjoying the life I had because I kept trying to change it. My self-love journey started with surrendering to God's plan and gratitude. I finally decided I was going to fully embrace and love my life as it was, and start showing daily gratitude for it. It was at that moment when my life completely changed for the better. I stopped repeating old cycles and started to adopt new healthy habits where I gave the love I was wanting from others to myself. I thoroughly appreciated being single and loved my "me-time". It drew me closer to God and deepened my connection on a level that I never knew I was missing but that I needed. I received clarity on situations that once were blurry, and I found peace in my life that I didn't want disrupted. I took a greater interest in little things like buying myself flowers, which brought my home joy and color. I took a deeper interest in my skin care routine, which resulted in clear, glowing, healthier skin. I decided to start treating myself to consistent manicures, which resulted in a better overall appearance and presentation of myself. Every investment I made in myself had an immediate positive return. As my appearance improved, so did everything else. I was in balance spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally, and earned that all on my own. When you reach a place of balance and growth, you become more protective of your energy and set new standards and boundaries for your life. Self-love was the catalyst for the positive change that my soul was longing for.
Our self-love is also a reflection of God's love for us, as we are created in his image. I now felt in total alignment with my life, path, and purpose. Not to mention I now had better discernment over my life and the intentions of others. I stopped being so accessible to people and put my needs and time first. Little did I realize that I had healed a long-standing wound that had caused so much previous destruction in my life. I now felt empowered with higher standards and boundaries. I glowed up and elevated my life on every level.
When you fully heal your need to be loved, you lose the feeling that you need someone else to make you happy and whole. It completely disappears! It's a positive domino effect, where new doors are opening and leading you to a whole new life. Your new confidence is impossible to miss and attracts the right people on your new level. Unhealed individuals always seem to find each other. But when you glow-up and elevate yourself, you no longer are attracted to those individuals. You've changed the game and your life.
