Another entry in the Love series. I’m not sure why this wasn’t in the initial run of the series, but it’s time to talk about loving yourself.

You know, I briefly mentioned in my soon to be unpublished book, Interpretations & Illustrations that if you can’t love yourself, how can you love others, and how can you expect others to love you? It’s quite a mouthful, but it’s so true.

Loving others starts with loving yourself. In this series, I did talk about that idea a little bit, but let’s dive into this thought. Focus on it. Why is it important to love yourself first in order to love others?

Well, let’s first make sure we understand what I’m saying when I say “love yourself”. Some people might go to an extreme and say this is some version of being selfish or self-centered. That’s not true. Remember, love is not selfish.

The best way to compare this is confidence. Like, if you have confidence in yourself, it shows in your life. When you do things, people know there’s something in you. I think, if you really get to a place where you love yourself, it’s easy, or easier to love others.

I’m a believer that you can’t give what you don’t have. Back to confidence. Will you look for advice from someone who seems to not be sure about the topic, or someone who seems to be the expert?

I think it’s as simple as that. Loving yourself is very important to begin to love others. Can you love others more than yourself? Maybe. I’ve heard that Jesus loved us more than Himself enough that He was willing to die for us. Whether that means He loves us more than Himself remains to be seen, especially since He’s considered to BE love.

Build yourself up before you reach out to others is another way of looking at it. It’s like when people don’t know how to stay in their lane, and they wanna talk about other people, and yet their situation is all f’d up. “Mind your business” takes hold, here. Don’t worry about loving others when you can’t even love yourself.

But, ignoring comparisons to loving others, loving yourself is simply important because that’s a major role in how you live your life. If you love yourself, you’ll eat right. You’ll take care of yourself. You’ll make sure you are in a good place spiritually, physically, and mentally. If you’re not, you’re actively seeking help in that particular area.

I said earlier it’s not being selfish if you focus on yourself more than others. Only you can look after you. People need to respect that. You need to respect that for others. Loving yourself is a starting point for what kind of attitude you have of yourself. How you think of yourself. How you carry yourself.

If you feel like crap about your existence, it’s going to show. I’m a believer that your emotions impact you physically at some point. Stress is a really good example. If you’re stressed about something long enough, your body can begin to break down.

So, love yourself. Don’t forget to love your neighbors, enemies, and others. But, maybe above all else, love yourself.