Do you love you?  Do you tell others how much you love them yet never tell yourself how much you love you?  Hmmm…I figured as much.  So if you haven’t already told yourself how absolutely awesome you are, stop right now – go to the mirror and take a good look at yourself and say “I love you, I really, really love you.”  You are the only one who has the power to love yourself wholly and unconditionally.  If you are anything like I used to be, you are probably saying “Um, ya, don’t think so” probably because it feels uncomfortable.  However, I challenge you to ask yourself why it feels that way!  We are all unique and specially made in our own way – own it, embrace it, love it!  See, it isn’t about another person, it’s about you and how you show up in your life.  As you begin to show up more loving toward yourself, you bet you’ll show up more loving to others.

After working on this with one of my clients who was always stressed out and feeling like she was never getting anywhere, she exclaimed “Oh gosh, I never really thought of myself as important.”  Then she sat there very quiet for a long time. Finally I asked, “Okay, what are you feeling?” She replied “Anger.  I see now that I have put so much ahead of myself that I’ve missed out on a great deal in my life.”  Then she said “I know what you are going to ask, so here is the answer:  I plan to put myself first no matter how hard it is and do the things I’ve been wanting to do, take time for myself to get healthy, have fun, and love myself rather than sabotage myself.”  She knew I was going to ask her what she wanted to have in her life now that she knew what she knew.  And from there she set about creating her plan and implementing the steps for her to love herself and be able to look in the mirror and say “I love you, I really, really love you.”

The ironic part is, she is a lovely and loving woman, wife, mother, employee and friend.  She shows her love to others by helping them out, doing for them, being there for them, and making them happy.  Yet when it came to her, it didn’t feel right so she just didn’t.  She gained weight, felt stressed, angry at times, and overall just blah and worn out.  By owning the love for herself, she immediately saw how she was treating herself… and it wasn’t how she would ever treat another!

As interesting or perplexing as that may seem — where are you doing the same thing by not feeling the love of you?  Are you saying “I love myself” yet continue to put obstacles in your way so that you don’t get what you really want?  Have you had the same goal for a long time and can’t seem to reach it?  Do things seem to happen to you again and again and you have no idea why?  Saying you love yourself and really loving yourself are two different things.  Where might you really show yourself the love?

Share your thoughts below; I love hearing from you!

© Copyright 2012 Kim Ravida Coaching. All rights reserved. Feel free to use the material from the article in whole or in part, just makes sure you include this complete acknowledgement including the live website link and let me know where the material will appear: “Kim Ravida, owner and founder of Kim Ravida Coaching, is a Certified Professional Coach and a personal and professional motivation mentor. In essence, she motivates people to stop beating themselves up and helps them get off their butts so that they maximize their time and energy to quickly get what they want in their lives… and love their reflection! Kim produces a weekly ezine where she shares insights, inspirations, tips and ideas for setting and reaching personal and professional goals. To get more information or sign up, please go to www.kimravida.com.”