Love Yourself to Attract Love

Today I had a date with myself in Santa Monica. Something was drawing me to really spend some time on my own and enjoy my own company, instead of calling up a friend instinctually. I did some shopping at a favorite store and had a really great raw lunch at a beautifully spirited restaurant, Euphoria Loves Rawvolution. At the restaurant, I picked up a book called Igniting Life, and found myself in the love section of the book. I read:

To bring love into your life, you must first love your self. Love for self includes taking care of and respecting your physical being as well as other life forms, such as the animals of the land, sky and water. Love for self includes believing that your essence is worthy of love. Knowing that you are worthy of love will drive you to improve your life in every way." -- Igniting Your Life, John McCabe

Though I was having a wonderful time being with my self all day, I did have this lingering blue energy around me even as I sat with my feet in the sand. It was like I wasn't fully accepting myself or entirely enjoying this time of self-healing. Something was missing. This quote made me realize that when I am feeling overwhelmed by sad emotions, I slump into judging myself and feeling unworthy. Unworthy of love, of affection, of company - whatever it may be. And then I punish myself in this dark place until I shake it off, find the answer in Nature, or am brought back to consciousness with the helping hand of a friend. Then I realize that what I'm missing is acceptance - of myself, of what I'm feeling in this moment, of how the world is moving around me, etc. I underwent the full arc of this emotional experience today, and it's interesting to look at it this evening, in retrospect. 


It's so important for me (and all of us) to have respect for myself, and to treat my own heart, soul, and body with the ultimate care and concern. As challenging as it is, I really love learning how to better check in with myself and to look at myself with an objective eye, such that I prioritize taking care of me. Often times I would rather take care of others than truly satisfy my own needs. You can't find true love and respect IN anyone else - it's something that each person must first have with themselves. The beauty lies in the times when two people who truly do love themselves and are open to exploring deeper come together - as two separate wholes that can nurture one another as they are. Now that is Euphoric.