Loving others can be easy. These are the people who make you smile and who make every day better. It’s easy to love these people, because there is something in you that they love back. And what is love if not love reflected? So why can it be so hard to love ourselves? 

Some people have a hard time loving themselves because they hold themselves to a higher level than they hold other people. It’s wonderful to set high aspirations for yourself, but setting them too high can set up a cycle of failure and self loathing that is hard to break. Not loving yourself and treating yourself with respect can deplete your batteries leaving little energy and love for other people. Loving yourself is a way to recharge those batteries so you can give love to give to others and to the world. 

To love yourself more, there are the usual and important things like treating yourself to a massage or a new book, but more importantly to love yourself you need to look inward and not rely on things to make you feel loved. Looking inward to see how you really treat yourself. When you make a mistake do you remind yourself that we are all human and accidents happen? Or do you berate yourself saying “of course this happened to me, I’m a klutz”? You may be berating yourself and not even know you’re doing it. Next time you are confronted with an unsavory situation take a step back and see if you are treating yourself with respect and love. As someone famous once said, “If you really put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price."