Inside of Me

"Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line." Lucille Ball

When I was growing up, in my culture we were not taught to love ourselves. It was a non-existent concept. We were to love God, country, family and friends. But if someone would have said, "I love myself," we would have instantly labeled that person as arrogant and self-indulgent and maybe more than a little delusional.

Many of the problems we have personally, in our communities and in the world in general could be greatly improved if we loved ourselves. I don't believe we can truly experience love in its purest and highest form with anyone, until we first love ourselves. So many of us have such well developed inner critics that not only do we not love ourselves, it would be safe to say some of us actually hate ourselves.

So operating from a core of self-loathing, we go out and try to love others as best we can. We try to love while operating from a platform of hatred. Then we become frustrated and discouraged when our relationships go wrong, when it's not them. It's us. I have known some people who hated themselves so much that they got to the point where they didn't even want to love. Or to be loved by anyone else.

So how about you? Have you spent your life loving other people but never loved yourself? It's never too late to start to love that amazing person that you are.

Susan

"The Greatest Love of All" was written for George Benson by Linda Creed and Michael Masser.