As the old song says “what the world needs now is love”. We always give love to other people, but isn’t it hard to give something you don’t have? People always say that you have to love yourself first for you to love others. If we keep on giving the love we don’t have, we’ll get fed up and tired because we are giving something we are lacking in the first place. Self-love can mean differently to each of us and there are countless ways to build a strong foundation of your relationship with yourself.

It’s not just about prioritizing yourself among others. It’s not about liking yourself in happy and successful moments. It’s not about liking yourself because you are beautiful, smart and talented. It’s not about being egoistic and self-centered.

What self-love truly means is accepting and loving yourself for who you are; your strengths and your flaws, the things you can do and what you can still improve on, what you have and what you don’t have, the “good” and the “bad” side of you, and so on.

Self-love is being kind to yourself and knowing your worth. It is the unconditional feeling about your love, acceptance, and understanding of yourself no matter what your shortcomings are.

Why is this so important? Having self-love can help you nourish and flourish. It can also help you have peace of mind and confidence that everything that is happening in your life will be okay. Self-love can also lead you to healthy decisions, positive relationships, and blissful living because having a strong relationship with yourself is like a ripple effect – it will reflect in your actions.

Self-love is not an idea that you have to understand but an affection that you will truly feel within yourself with continuous practice of doing and deciding things that will help you become a better you. Here are some actions you can do for yourself to have a superb life:

Be kind to yourself. It’s okay to make mistakes whether be it in personal decisions, work, relationships, etc. Besides, you can learn great things from these mistakes which can help you decide better next time. So forgive yourself and let your shortcomings be a tool for you to produce new positive decisions. Always be grateful for the magic life brings!

Do things you love. You tend to do things for yourself because you are so busy with your responsibilities and tasks. Have at least an hour per day in doing your hobbies like reading a book, dancing, working out, playing the piano, cooking or baking, spending time with your dog, or other things that will make you feel contented – mentally, emotionally and physically.

Be in control of what you think. Be mindful of the words and thoughts you entertain in your head. Negative thoughts reflect with your actions. Being aware of the voices inside of our head will help you not regret the next actions you will make. Sometimes, talking to yourself can even help you make reasonable decisions. Let’s say, you are too lazy to go to work, you made someone cry, you got too angry or emotional, your friend was mean, or you got randomly scolded by a random stranger on the street – assess the situations where there were successful and happy moments and also the ones that need more consciousness.

Be in a positive environment. This may sound cliché, but you really should surround yourself with high-spirited, encouraging, and uplifting people who will support you all along. It’s never wrong to choose the people who you will be with. Remember, anyone who doesn’t make you feel you are worth it shouldn’t be part of your life.

Never compare yourself to others. You cannot compare yourself to other people because we are beautiful and unique in our ways! Accept and embrace yourself for being different because that’s what makes you stand out.

Everything will be easy once you felt the acceptance and love for yourself! You must have the love for yourself because no one else will love you the way you love yourself.

At HDI, we greatly value the concept of loving ourselves because it is the start of building amazing stories and endless relationships.