It is the month of February, and we are all about spreading LOVE. Yes, we ought to love one another, but before we go loving anybody, we first need to love ourselves. To some, this may sound narcissistic or selfish. However, I am referring to a healthy type of self-love, one where we get to know our true selves and take care of our whole selves.
So, let’s talk self-love.
What is self-love?
Self-love, or self-care, is all about appreciating yourself by taking actions that support your physical, psychological (mental and emotional), and spiritual well-being.
And guess what? It’s not just about bubble baths and face masks, although I promote those too. Self-love also means nurturing the right relationships and planning for your financial future.
So, do we really love ourselves?
Well, to truly love and grow ourselves, we need to first know ourselves. If I should ask you, “Who are you?” You most likely respond with your name and what you do. But, we are more than labels. If we want to understand a product, what’s the first thing we do? We read the manual or hit up Google for the manufacturer, right?
Therefore to know mankind we should go to the Creator.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1: 27
And consult His manual, The Holy Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Learning about the Creator from The Holy Bible will help us to understand the ways and characteristics of God. We will begin to experience God’s love for us while we grow spiritually. The result is a better understanding of ourselves.
Over time, He will reveal our strengths, weaknesses, natural abilities, personality, and spiritual gifts (only for believers). During all this, pay attention to opportunities that come your way and the things you love or even hate. Even past experiences will play a role in God’s plan for our lives because he is the God of yesterday, today, and forevermore.
How to intentionally grow and find balance in our lives?
Who we are through God’s eyes is our structure or shape – our true or authentic self. Knowledge of our structure is the key to unlocking growth in every area of our lives. From our physical health to our mental well-being, self-love sets the stage for intentional growth.
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 2
We are spiritual beings, we live in a body and we possess a soul which includes the mind, emotions, (imagination, dreams, ideas, memory), and will. This is why it is essential to begin with God (spiritual growth) because if the spirit is not well then all other areas are unwell.
What other areas should we focus on for growth in our lives?
Physical well-being: Many of us spend hours in the gym strengthening our physical body. We are very cautious about what we eat. Exercising and eating healthy are beneficial in many ways, but remember we are not just a body. While we all have different needs we should consider getting enough rest, soaking up the sun, and even pampering ourselves with amazing skincare products.
Mental well-being: While some of us spend hours in the gym, others of us spend hours studying or watching TV. Learning is always great, but not at the expense of neglecting other areas of our lives. Failing to learn new or through continuous education is just as detrimental to our minds. Also, what are we learning? Do you understand that if we do not know our structure we may be completely missing the mark?
Emotional well-being: This area is often neglected or overemphasized. If neglected, then we are living by reasoning alone. But where did the information come from that our reasoning is built on? Whereas, if we live purely out of our emotions it can lead us into all sorts of problems as feelings are temporary and emotions can be complex.
We may need some therapy, read books that help to heal our soul, learn how to cultivate positive emotions, listen to talks that empower us, or learn to validate and celebrate ourselves.
Will: Now here is an area that is unexplored. In life, we have two choices: life or death. Jesus (God the Son) is the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6. Everything else is death. We have the power to choose. Choose wisely. This is why we pray “Thy will be done.”
Relational well-being: Based on our personalities we may lean towards some people more than others. However, we want to build relationships with people who share our core values, those we can trust, and those who are willing to grow and accomplish a similar purpose. Remember people are not perfect, therefore we need to be patient and do unto others as we would want them to do to us.
If we do the work in the other areas of our lives we will attract and keep the right relationships.
Financial well-being: When we do the work in all the above areas financial growth is inevitable. It is one thing to get our finances in order, but do we know how to make that money work for us? Hard work doesn’t make you wealthy or financially independent (ask millions of hard-working people). Neither does more money make you rich (ask the lottery winners). It’s about keeping what we have and knowing how to make that money work for us.
Throughout all these things we choose to rely on God- the way to true life or we can try to find ourselves in other ways that will lead to death. We cannot do it alone. Having done the work, we will be in full alignment to live a significant, satisfied, and abundant life.
Are you ready?
Now we have the capacity to love one another and put others before us. However, in a fast-paced world where so many things are coming at us, it can be challenging to navigate getting to know ourselves and growing intentionally. As such, consider a Consultant and Life Coach with experience and the same values as you to come alongside you on your transformation journey.
Love
Sanch
One Response
I was well nourished with positive and encouraging words. These thought 💭 provoking words allow you to self reflect and examine oneself with total truth. In order to grow and achieve and develop maturity we have to really know , understand and LOVE 💕 ourselves.
We were created by the God of LOVE and TRUTH.