When is the Last Time You Said, “I Love Myself?”

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This question may sound silly – but think about it.  These are the words we most long to hear from others, and yet we rarely say them to ourselves. If we don’t feel comfortable saying this to ourselves, how can we expect to be comfortable in accepting this message from others?  What is even more interesting is that the majority of us have actually never said, “I love myself.”

I recently led a spiritual workshop where the topic was about our creative infinite potential as human beings.  Through my extensive journey of personal healing, as well as many years of facilitating energy healing sessions and spiritual workshops, I have come to understand that the only way we can even begin to comprehend the vastness of our infinite potential is to start with the fundamental principle of self-love.  For this reason, I suggested an exercise which involved pairing up. One person would say, “I love myself,” while the other one listened with complete attention, and then they reversed the roles of speaker and listener. Not only did I request that they repeat this mantra aloud to each other, I also suggested they affirm this statement about 25 times. At first, it was apparent that the suggestion to participate in this exercise seemed a little awkward for everyone.  Because of our social conditioning, their initial feeling was that it would be much more easy to say “I love you” to someone else than it was to say “I love myself.”

Nevertheless, this open-minded, spiritually attuned group was willing to give it a try. It began as a cumbersome exercise of people dutifully reciting “I love myself” to each other.  Because the words aligned with the truth of spirit, we could each feel that what began as a mind exercise quickly deepened into expressions of the heart as we continued to repeat this affirmation to each other. Within minutes, the room began to swell with echoes of “I love myself” coming from everywhere. What a beautiful sound! It became quite obvious to all of us that what had begun as an uncomfortable exercise had transformed into an experience of inspiration and truth.

Why does it feel so uncomfortable to affirm “I love myself?”

Most of us are taught from early on in our childhood years by parents, caregivers, teachers, culture, traditions, and religious teachings that it is selfish to love ourselves.  We carry these childhood beliefs into adulthood without even realizing it. In order to spiritually evolve, it is essential to understand that “self-love” is not the same as “selfish.”

What is the difference between “self-love” and “selfish?”

Each one of us has been created by the energy of unconditional love.  As we remember this truth, we come to recognize that our natural state of being is LOVE.  When we choose to be loving and respectful of ourselves, our energy resonates with Universal Love and opens our hearts to a connection with our Higher Self.  This empowers us to access limitless energy for inspiration and regeneration from the Universe.  As a result, we have plenty of energy to express our love to others, resulting in generosity – not selfishness.

“Selfish,” on the other hand, is an emotion that centers predominantly on the needs and desires of self without consideration of others. Because it is self-centered, it focuses on ego and disconnects us from Creative Source.  Selfish behavior blocks universal love from flowing to and through us.  This results in looking to everyone else outside of ourselves to fulfill our needs and desires. Being around people who are acting selfish is typically a very draining experience.

Can simply affirming “I love myself”

really change how I feel about myself?

The simple answer is yes. Our feelings are the emotional barometer indicating whether our thoughts are aligned with our spiritual truth.  When we think kind and loving thoughts about ourselves, we are aligned with the spiritual truth of oneness and love, and we feel inspired and uplifted.  When we think unkind and judgmental thoughts about ourselves, we feel separated from our Creative Source and are bound to be living in fear.  It takes practice to change old habits. Practice this affirmation with a supportive friend or relative.  Another very effective way to affirm this new thought form is to stand before a mirror, look deeply into your own eyes, and say, “I love you.”  Louise Hay, famed spiritual coach and author, suggests you do this until you are moved to the point of tears.  It is then that you will know that you have embraced what you are saying to yourself with your heart.

Can I come to truly believe what I am saying?

Every belief we have is rooted in a repetitious thought pattern.  Because we have the power to choose our thoughts, we can consciously transform our outgrown beliefs of separation by changing our self-talk and the messages we convey to ourselves at any time in our lives. Our thoughts create the beliefs that form the foundation for how we live our lives. Our beliefs determine the words we speak, our words result in our actions, and our actions manifest our physical reality.

While it may seem very strange to you at first, persevere with affirming that you love and accept yourself.  To see yourself in the light of love is to embrace the truth of your True Self.  Since what we project is what we attract, you will also attract other people who love you for who you are.

Be kind to yourself!

Love and Light

Sandra