“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world”. — Lucille Ball
I Love Lucille Ball! She made me laugh so hard at times, especially in the episode where she worked at the chocolate factory on the beloved show “I Love Lucy.” Outside the show, Lucille displayed a maturity that resonates with the quote above.
In this season of love, in preparation for Valentine’s Day, I have been thinking a lot about self-love. Loving yourself is not always an easy thing to find (and maintain). However, self-love is truly the basis of how well you can, in fact, love other people. If you cannot cut yourself a little slack for being too messy, too neat, too tall, too small, too loud or too quiet – then can you truly give the same love and compassion to another person?
This year, for Valentine’s Day, I am giving myself the gift of love. Simply saying this makes me think about the many people I hold dear to me. Valentine’s Day is not about finding a perfect someone who will buy me chocolates and take me to dinner. Instead, I’m focused about what I will do for my daughter. Yes, what gift will I give her; but also, how will I advise her about the Valentines she gives out. Should she be allowed to date or watch a PG-14 movie? How hard should she study and when should she play? These gifts of love I give her every day will form who she will become as an adult. The main gift I want to give her is self-love. I want her every decision to be informed by the question: “Is this true to me and therefore to those I love?” I don’t really mean the decisions like “What will I do for a living?” I mean the little questions, like “No matter what I am doing today, can I do it wholeheartedly?” I have been reading Brene Brown a lot – and I love her blog about wholehearted intentional living. Give yourself a treat today, and go check her out.
Think about who you want to honor with love this Valentine’s Day. Whether a spouse or friend, a child or a pet – give them a gift that is simple. Listen, hear them and give them a hug. Tell someone really special what you love about them. And then, whatever you do for another, stop for one moment of your day and give that to yourself as well. I guarantee that you are worth it!
Love ya’ll. Enjoy this month leading up to Valentines. Love yourself every day.
Susan
