I saw a meme on social media last week. Jenny Nordbak wrote, “My three year old said goodnight to all of us tonight and then in the dark I heard her little voice say, ‘Goodnight myself. I love you. [pause] I love you too.’ Don’t let anyone take that from you little one.”
What an innocent example of self-love. How do we lose it as we grow older? When does the story we tell ourselves about ourselves become less empathetic? When does it start to comment on how we look, how successful we are, what we do and don’t have?
As actor Robert Morley said, “To fall in love with yourself is the first secret to happiness.”
And when falling in love, remember that we are all imperfect. We are flawed. Yet we are loveable. As author Brené Brown said, “Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.”
So, whether it’s the day the world celebrates love, or just a regular Monday, never forget to love the person in the mirror. It’s the one person who will be with you for the entire journey.