How to love yourself

1. Pick out five things you hate about yourself.

2. Pick out five things you don’t hate, but you wouldn’t mind altering a bit.

3. Pick out five things you love about yourself.

Which was easiest? Could you pick five things easily?

Bet it was really easy to pick the things you hate, and fairly easy to find the things you wouldn’t mind tweaking. But the things you love about yourself?

How many times a day do you look in the mirror and tell yourself you’re amazing? And how many times do you think how fat you are, how big your nose is, how you hate your eyes, how your ears are a weird shape, how you would be pretty if you could just change that one major flaw?

Everyone should look at themselves and think I’m not perfect, but I’m better than everyone else. I know everyone wants me, they’re just too shy to do anything about it. Don’t mistake this for vanity for self-praise is no praise.

But how can you give yourself completely to another, mind and body, perfections and flaws, if you don’t love yourself enough to accept these flaws yourself?

Don’t talk down to yourself, don’t treat yourself how you wouldn’t want to treat your mother, or sister, or best friend. If you think you’re beautiful, you’re right. If you think you’re ugly, you’re right. By this I mean embracing your beauty will make you shine; don’t ever frown as you don’t know who could be falling in love with your smile.

You were born an original, don’t die a copy.

Aila Maritz xox