"Loving Yourself "
by Hilary Bee

What is the most loving thing that you have done for yourself so far today? What is the most self-loving thought that you have had today? Have you treated yourself as the infinitely precious being that you are? Have you thought of yourself as totally deserving of every blessing that the universe could bring your way? When you have eaten, have you considered that you were feeding a divine being? When you have quenched your thirst, have you thought whose sacred life you were sustaining?

Why are we so quick to judge and condemn ourselves? Why do we find it so difficult to forgive ourselves? Why are we so acutely aware of our shortcomings and our failings? And why at the same time do we downplay our talents and our gifts? Most of the time, if we are able to do something easily and effortlessly, we hardly own our actions. We tell ourselves that it was nothing, that anyone could do it. We don't value it, because we didn't labor at it. We don't even think of these attributes as talents, we act as if they came with the water supply. We think that a stranger in the street could do it as well as we did it.

Why are we afraid of loving ourselves too much? Why are we so afraid of becoming big-headed? Why do we find it so hard to accept compliments and praise? Why is our image of someone who thinks well of themselves that of arrogance and conceit? Why do we find it easier to feel compassion for others rather than ourselves? What kind of people would we become if we accepted all the praise, appreciation and love that the universe had to offer?

Imagine what it would be like if you loved yourself without reservation. You would own every part of yourself. You would feel whole. All your actions would be based in love. You would never need to seek someone else's approval. You would not do anything that harmed you. That would include not harming anyone else, for harming others would harm you too. You would feel secure enough to express yourself fully and to tell your truth. You wouldn't need to compete with anyone else, except in play. You would have no need for jealousy. You would not be afraid of what other people said to you, or said about you.

Imagine having a friend like that. Someone who felt so secure in themselves that you could say anything you wanted to them. Someone who would never compete with you or be jealous of you. Someone who would never judge you and always tell you the truth of what they felt. Someone who would never mean to harm you.

You can be that friend. The greatest gift you can give someone else is to love yourself unconditionally. It is also the greatest gift that you can give yourself. Let's do it! Let's do it together.

So now what is the next loving act that you are going to do for yourself?