love yourself

We all peer into the mirror every day, multiple times each day. But do we really “see” ourselves? Most of us maintain an outer façade—and this veneer is basically the kind of person we want people to see us as. Sometimes, this outer veneer of ours is so solidly fixed in place that we forget to self-reflect upon who we really are. And when we forget to do that, we leave no scope of self-improvement. For us to be better every day, we have to be aware of our true selves and open up a path to regular self-improvement.

Body positive. We’ve heard this term being bandied about for the past few years, and 2016 was no different. Though we’ve heard reed-thin models gushing about body acceptance and famous (and drop-dead gorgeous) celebrities blathering about accepting your true self – what is exactly does it mean to be not conventionally good looking and still being body positive? It’s easy for the rich and famous to say these things, for they fit into the mold of society’s definition of beauty. But what about us mere mortals? With our jowly chins and jiggly bellies, not so great skin or too tall a height?

I was pregnant with my first baby and the “father” was non-existent. Instead, I had met an amazing man who I had warily started dating. I had no idea what to expect while my body morphed and transformed in order to bring forth the life growing inside of me. This man's mother, who would later become my first child's grandmother, gave me a rose quartz in the shape of a heart at my blessingway, just a few weeks before his arrival. My heart, which was trepidatious and afraid to let anyone in, suddenly began opening to the possibility of love with the aid of rose quartz.

The key here is self-love. Honoring your own individuality. 

It’s about owning your self. Embracing what makes you you. Loving EVERYTHING about yourself, and all that is unique about you.

I want to feel special, chosen, exalted. Unfortunately, I’ve been operating under the misconception that it’s other people’s responsibility to do that for me. I’ve been relying on other people to make me feel special, and guess what? It’s not working.