Today, Valentine's Day is widely celebrated to show an abundance of love and appreciation for those near and dear to you but it misses the mark on where gratitude and love stem from self-love.
I read a quote this morning that said the more love you give the more you receive and once again it's leaving out the idea that you need love from external sources while you yourself are a built-in love machine of giving and receiving!
It is so easy to find yourself on autopilot day in and day out doing the same things, falling into the same emotional slumps, bad habits, and negative mentality all while expecting a different result. This too plays into self-love, self-awareness, and finding that inner fire to light up and make changes. You don't only feel it inside and wear it on your face, but those around you sense that energy and react in their own way. This can further your lack of love both receiving and ability to give.
The importance of practicing self-love is so powerful and emits a domino effect of gratitude and love that is felt so strongly. The simplest acts of self-love can be such as:
❥ 5-minute meditation
❥ A 20-minute walk outside in nature
❥ Starting a new house project
❥ Trying a new hobby or craft
❥ Calling a girlfriend to catch up about life
❥ Try a new recipe - fire up those tastebuds!
❥ Plant something new in the garden or introduce a new houseplant
Set an intention at the beginning of the day that creates space for yourself that will practice self-love. The act of putting yourself first for even 5-10 minutes of something you want to do that brings you joy, makes you feel good and a sense of accomplishment will turn your mood around, feel love for yourself and therefore emulate that energy to give more of yourself and your love to others.
I've spent more time recently reflecting on why we do what we do and specifically those things that don't serve us in any way. Wasting time being on auto-pilot and just going with the motions is hindering our gratification of this life, motivation to live the life you want, and love the best you can.
I've taken a step back to evaluate these areas that were causing dissonance and frustration and said to myself, "I need to learn to do the things that are good for me." For instance, I've made a goal to get back into the gym on a consistent basis for many reasons. One reason is how I know it is so good for my mental state as a very analytical mentally-driven person, and the gym gets me out of my head and to just move my body and push my physical limits. Another reason is that it gets me out of the house and doing things alongside large groups, which is something I lack being a full-time remote independent business. It's individual therefore it's for me and only me. I get to choose what class I want to do that day or which exercises I feel like focusing on, I get to control the intended outcome and fully execute to the best performance I can reach. This one thing that I have added to my daily routine has opened my eyes to prioritize other areas of exploration that both promote self-love, fulfillment, and individual gratification that transpires to other areas of my life. I will share more on those new ventures soon!
I hope this topic of self-love in a practical, daily way inspires you to reflect on how you are choosing yourself each day in the way to serve yourself and how that translates to love for those around you. I am all for deep transformation, spiritual and others, and I do work on those as well but I have found starting simple, small, and intentional set you up for the quickest improvements that catapult into larger changes.
Sending forth love & freedom,
XO