Is self love important?
Self love: The emotional contentment one has for themself based on their own individuality
This is a topic in which a lot of people tend to overlook. A topic that needs to be discussed. We have boys and girls out there who are constantly looking for other people’s affection, craving that “love”. That should never be the case, you should never have to beg someone to love you. And no, just because one may shower you with gifts and words of affection, that will not mean anything unless you know that you can be an independent person and know your worth. First and foremost, do they need you more than you need them or do you need them more than they need you?
Self love is not being conceited. In fact, I would like to praise those who have this sense of awareness. You should always love yourself first and know your worth before you look out onto others. If you always are putting yourself secondly, you easily forget your worth. Nor should you be asking someone to care for you more than you care for yourself because in the end, it is only you. You know yourself the best, so act like it.
One may ask the importance of such a thing, but let me clarify it is a thing. It is so important for not only your own self, but also shows others how you present yourself. If you are always negative, complaining about things that you can not control and do not like, you will not come off as easily likeable. Rather, you would be annoying and very pessimistic. Not a great first impression, I would say. To love others, you need to learn how to love and accept yourself as a whole before you ask others to look at you. A great, kind, and positive energy is what everyone wants to be surrounded by.
Of course, we all have our down days. However, when you know your worth and accept yourself as is, you can get through almost anything more easily than if you were to depend on others to define you or love you. Love is not something you should have to depend on, it is something received. It is in no way a demand. I can not stress that enough, period.
If one is too focused on how they look like for others, fitting in, or wanting attention, I would say they have no self love whatsoever. They are putting themself behind everything and are not seeing their own viewpoints as of any importance. Not putting yourself first can ruin your confidence, lose your own sense of style, and even your own point of view.
Why not choose to be happy? Self love does not magically happen in a day, but over time. Realize how special you are as an individual. There is no one in this entire Earth like you, you are one of a kind. It is realizing what you have and appreciating it, rather than looking at the things you do not like about yourself.
“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
– Elizabeth Kubler-Ross (ekrfoundations)
I personally find this quote very beautiful. As someone who has lost a very dear and special person in my life, my outlook on my life has changed tremendously. You learn how to appreciate others a lot more and realize that you need to love more. And that is including you as well. The struggle is what pushes you to do better. Nothing comes easy in life, so loving yourself does take time. But, it will be worth it in the long run. It is an amazing feeling of not caring what others think of you and feeling confident in your own body. That is powerful.
You do not need a prince(ss) to come save you from reality, you, yourself can do just that. Take “Mulan” as an example, she fought for China and saved China herself. She saw trouble and solved the problem vs waiting around for someone to come save China and her from the chaos. That is some strong will right there. Depending on others in the time of despair all the time will make you less independent and feel like you need someone to be there to satisfy your needs. In a recent study, “The profile of the highly desirable traits contained three qualities: respectful, trustworthy and honest,” so everyone should also have these qualities for themselves and for others. Treat yourself the way you want to be treated as well.
Overall, self love is important for everyone. Loving yourself should always come first. We all need to realize just how special we are as a whole, as there is only one of us in this whole entire Earth. Focus on what you have and appreciate it, there is so much to be grateful for. Life is so much more beautiful when you learn to accept yourself.
References:
“The Importance Of Self-Love.” The Odyssey Online, 27 Aug. 2017, www.theodysseyonline.com/the-importance-self-lov.
June 2017.
Mar. 2017.
Plot. IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt0120762/plotsummary.
Quotes. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation, www.ekrfoundation.org/quotes/.
Science, Live.Men’s Looks Matter More Than Women Admit, Study Shows. The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 Apr. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mens-looks-matter-more-than-women-admit-study-shows_us_58ecf563e4b0ca64d91978be.
