How Do I Love ME, Let Me Count The Ways...

   Loving one's self is the only, true, sure-fire way to have the understanding of how to love others. So many of us were taught to ALWAYS put the feelings and needs of others before our own. Heck...if we can't, even, be good to ourselves, our neighbors don't stand a fighting-chance! There are some questions we must ask ourselves, in determining how we perceive our, own, self-worth and value. 1) Do I put others, and their needs, ahead of the one, whom I view in the mirror, each day? Let's not, ever, forget, the importance of self-love. We can only, truly, understand what loving others means, when we have a 'handle' on loving ourselves. 2) Do I respect myself? It is vital to recognize and value our own self-worth. Don't allow yourself to deny 'YOU' the regard you deserve. 3) Do I behave as, or, consider myself a 'victim'? Knowing that WE are in charge of how we allow others to treat us, and recognizing that, nobody has ANY power over our sense of self-esteem, other than us, is imperative to learning to love one's self. 4) Do I take responsibility for my life and my mistakes? Heck...we're all human; and, 'to err IS human, to forgive, divine', right? We are much, greater, than the errors we make, in life. If not for the mistakes, we make, we would not have the opportunity for growth and learning. So, rather than 'beating ourselves up', when we 'fail', use these situations to become better and wiser. 5) Do I worry? Worrying is not productive in any way, shape, or, form; It causes undo angst and stress. Rather than give over to the challenges and struggles, it is, far, superior, to 'attack' these, situations, with the FAITH that you know that, things happen for a reason, whether we understand these, or not. Also, 'whatever doesn't 'kill' one, makes one stronger', and, with love of self and love of God, we can 'climb the highest mountains, and, swim the strongest seas'. 6) Do I trust my own judgement? If you believe you are created in the image of God and that God imbues you with a spirit that can fill you with wisdom and intuition, then you must learn to trust your judgment. We often admire other people because we believe they are smarter or wiser than we are. Good judgment on some days may mean asking for advice. But on others, it means knowing you have the answer. Learn to go deep, inside, to the place where the Spirit fills you; and, trust that He will show you the way. 7) Do I spend my energy wisely? We all, on occasion, do things that we would, prefer, not, when certain, situations, show themselves to us. Yet, in a typical, day, it is important to do the things we feel serve us best. It is our 'right' to, either say 'yes', or 'no', to others when they request our time and energy. This is not selfish-behavior, but, self-preservation, at it's best. Do I make choices and decisions which jeopardize my well-being? If we opt to do things which we know are less than beneficial to our state of happiness, mental-well-being, or, safety, we are not displaying love to ourselves. Any type of 'risky-behavior' is detrimental to our state-of-being: body, mind, and, soul. 9) Do I attempt to 'save' everyone? We all, on occasion, attempt to help others, who are in need. This is a natural inclination for those of us, whom, care for people. This being said, there is a difference between helping and enabling, which, has the tendency to drain us. Also, as Christians, we must attempt to keep in mind that we cannot save others; we cannot play God. Each, individual, is responsible for his or herself. 10) Do I forgive myself? This question is a 'toughie'; for, most of us tend to be less able to offer ourselves pardon, as we do for others, for the mistakes and bad-behavior(s) we are, sometimes, responsible for. Yet, we must learn to do this. God is ALWAYS willing to forgive us, when we atone. Ideally, we will love ourselves enough to do the same. So...how do YOU love thyself? Start counting the ways. If you conclude that you you're 'shorting' yourself in the 'self-love' department, it's time to take some action. Remember that it ALL starts with us, and, the way we treat ourselves. Just Sayin'...