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Loving yourself is the biggest part of your happiness.
By Pernilla Lillarose — Written on Dec 14, 2019
While there are some personality traits that can make a lot of things in life easier — like courage, or a good attitude — the secret to true happiness is actually self-love.
Learning how to love yourself can take quite a bit of time; building your self-esteem, especially if you've spent years tearing it down, doesn't always come easy.
But loving yourself is incredibly important and necessary for your lasting happiness and health. Let me share with you the obvious reasons why true self-love can only make you happy, and why only true self-love can make you happy.
The other side of the self-love coin is called the lack of self-love, and this is the key to unhappiness. Wanna flip a coin?
The obvious is often hiding in plain sight and this list will confirm that and expose the obvious reason why self-love is the key to happiness. Self-love is the key that turns unhappiness to happiness.
I am talking about the unhappiness that you experience because of self-hatred, self-loathing, self-neglect and other negative "self" behaviors. They are abundant in the world and cause so much of the suffering, loneliness, and pain.
But, with the right key, they can be abundantly turned into joy, contentment, peace, and love.
When you look at it that way, don’t you agree that it’s a no-brainer?
Here are the 9 reasons why learning how to love yourself is the key to your happiness:
1. You receive from yourself what you normally want others to give you.
And you don't need to ever leave the house, without giving up any of your values or compromising what you know is best for you. And you will feel happy.
2. You treat yourself in a way that you want others to treat you.
Kindly say "no" to people who treat you in a way that you choose not to treat yourself. You feel good about surrounding yourself with people who treat you with respect and love because you do that to yourself!
You are content with your own kind and loving company and you will feel happy and at peace.
3. You listen to your own needs first before you take care of others.
If you hear or feel a clear "no" inside, listen and honor it. If you hear or feel a clear "yes" inside, go ahead and help others and feel good about it. If you notice an inner ambivalence based on guilt and obligation, you might regret it later and gently say "no" to this guilt-driven motivation.
Save yourself from an emotional hangover. If you sense a clear "no" wrapped in a feeling that knows it's the right thing to do (a "yes") without compromising myself, gladly offer your support. And you will feel happy and empowered.
4. You honor your own wisdom and choose to speak it even though others may disagree.
Holding back your true voice yet one more time, for the sake of being liked and fitting in, it will make you feel worse.
Be willing to speak what is in your heart, be true to yourself, and take the chance of not being liked. You will feel happy along with a buzz of relief that you were so brave.
5. You know that playing small and staying in familiar, safe, and confined parameters suffocate you.
Suffocating is not good for you, so lovingly cheer for yourself so you can stretch out your comfort zone and be curious to see what happens. You will be happy as you nurture your stretch marks.
6. You feel a warm glow inside that feeds your soul and strengthens your heart.
Allow this glow to grow and nurture every cell in your body that has been starving from your own lack of nurturing. You will be happy and feel comfortably full.
7. You rest in your being and feel relaxed.
8. You know when to reach out for help and who you feel safe with.
Don't force yourself to figure it all out on your own. Be grateful that you know who can support you and get the help you need. And you will feel happy that you're not alone.
9. You trust your inner guidance and follow your heart.
Don't let yourself get distracted by other people's opinions or disagreements of who you are and what you do. And you will feel happy, empowered, and fulfilled.
Please add what you know happens to you when you love yourself. Print it out and read it daily. Let the obvious embody itself as your natural body wisdom.
Eventually, the obvious becomes too obvious to miss and what was once in plain sight is now simply your obvious insight.
Oh, and what happened to the key? Is it still turned open?
I’ll leave this key in your hands. You may decide to keep it turned toward happiness ... or turn it back to what it is like to not love yourself.
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Pernilla Lillarose is a self-love mystic & mentor at Divine Feminine Flow. Feel free to contact her for a free 30 minute Discovery Session to learn if her self-love mentoring can help you experience more love, peace, and joy in your life and how true self-love can turn your whole life around.
This article was originally published at Divine Feminine Flow. Reprinted with permission from the author.