Trying to keep up appearances is a signal of decay on the inside. Beware shallow living – in yourself and in others. It is only in the depths that life can thrive.
Learning to love yourself is like learning to walk – essential, life-changing, and the only way to stand tall.
It is only by seeing beauty in everything that we can see it in any one single thing, day after day. Don’t run into the arms of obsession, for that quickly fades. Long lasting love comes from an open, loving heart.
As you dig your teeth into your assumptions, your teeth become sharper. You can dig deeper. You become what the world needs simply by helping yourself. It’s not easy, but it is worth it. The truth, as they say, hurts. But they also say it sets you free.
Amazing relationships aren’t about making one perfect choice in your choice of partner. They’re about the infinite amount of choices you make in each conflict, each conversation, and each moment to open yourself and to stay open, even when it’s hard.
Do not settle for labels that presume you will never heal. Believe in yourself. Find a tribe who understands and believes in you too. Don’t ever give up.
You’re already stuck with yourself for a lifetime. Why not improve this relationship?
You matter. You’re not broken. You’re stronger than you think.
One particularly harmful idea carried by our cultural narrative is that you need to find someone who will love you. Imagine if we believed this about any other basic need: food, water, oxygen. If you needed another person to provide you with those, you’d be considered dependent – if not disabled. Yet we so willingly put ourselves in this state with love.
Have the courage to love yourself like you always wished someone would.
Self-love is essential. Until you can learn how to feel loved in an empty room, you will not feel loved for very long in any other room.
Sometimes, breaking down is the bravest thing you can do.
Those who doubt themselves will doubt you. Those who limit themselves will try to limit you. Do not fight them. Smile, go your own way, and trust that your example is enough.
Leave your hair natural. Let your beard grow out. Leave the makeup in the bag. Wear comfortable clothes. Stop worrying so much about your looks and start looking around you. You have missed so much beauty trying to become beautiful. You have missed your own worth trying to become worthy. Let the mask break open. Let it lie on the floor. Let yourself be seen. Let yourself see.
When we stop looking for someone to complete us, we find completion in ourselves.
Trust yourself. Let self-awareness be your science. Let self-discovery be your research. Let your intuition be your expert. Let your endless curiosity be your teacher. And, above all, find out what makes you smile. That is the most important study you can ever undertake.
Within you is a fountain of wisdom. And you sell yourself short every time you allow some authority to define your limitations and cage your potential. Even if that authority lives in your head.
Sometimes the most important conversation we can have is with the waves of the ocean or the dewdrops on a blade of grass. Sometimes the easiest way to love yourself is to realize that you are all these things. You are everything you’ve ever loved.
Life is a conversation with yourself. And who are you if not the eternal presence behind everything that is, was, and will be? Like this, the blow of each breeze and the beauty of each sunset can teach you about yourself, if you listen. If you hear.
Instead of labelling your emotions as problems to solve, you can see them as signals to interpret. Instead of judging your desires as shameful aberrations, you can learn to meet them in healthier ways. Instead of calling yourself critical names when you cannot build or break certain habits, you can explore your motivations. You can become a student of yourself rather than always seeking a wiser teacher.