Before we can really love anyone else with conviction we need to learn to love ourselves.
This sounds very cliché but it is the first step towards achieving happiness, the importance of which can't be overstated.
Once you learn to love that person looking back at you in the mirror you're sure to find the rest of our ideas and methods here much less of a struggle to implement. Loving yourself can be thought of as the oil that allows the internal machine of your happiness to run smoothly and efficiently. It's that vital to what we're trying to achieve! If you do not work on this you may never attain true happiness!
Self-image issues can be hard to overcome if you're not familiar with the tried and true techniques that experts have developed to build self-esteem.
Put these following things into action and you may be shocked at how quickly you learn to love yourself. I've seen them work their magic again and again and there's no reason why they won't work for you too!
Acknowledge Your Accomplishments.
We can often be our own harshest critics, while in reality if we'd like to be happier we should be our very own biggest fan! Stop ignoring your accomplishments, whether in business, your social life, athletics or beyond. It can be hard to stop this as we are built to analyse our performance and look for areas of improvement or for actions where we did not meet our true potential. This is why we self critique. To reframe this self criticism in a positive light we are only doing it because we know we can do better. So take it as a positive that you are actually capable of much more but unfortunately on this occasion you did not get the result we wanted. To put this into a good example I recently played a game of football and managed to score a hatrick. This was a great result for me as I am not a big goal scorer. However at the end of the game my mind was far more wrapped up thinking about the shots that I missed rather than acknowledging my accomplishment of 3 goals! So do not worry this self criticism affects us all, even when we have performed well! We just need to become aware of how our mind works and be able to consciously look for our achievements even when we feel we have messed up.
You should even be patting yourself on the back for caring enough about your own self-development to be studying this guide. Give yourself credit. You deserve it.
Remember Looks Are In The Eye Of The Beholder.
Ask many models if they feel like they are beautiful and they'll tell you a firm "no". This is despite their becoming quite wealthy over the fact others find them attractive. This strange paradox is repeated again and again. If you look in the mirror and find yourself thinking that you are less than attractive, remind yourself that many people are sure to disagree. I guarantee it. And never compare your appearance with other people’s. We are all unique and different in many ways. Appearance is something a lot of people struggle with as it is what the world can see us as without getting to know us. Just remember that as above you are your own worst critic and you will look at yourself in a different way than others will. And it is proven that attractiveness is affected by your energy and character and happy people are generally seen as attractive people as their inner beauty and strength shines through.
Be More Patient With Yourself.
Sometimes we make mistakes. When you love someone and they stumble are you incredibly harsh with them? If you are you shouldn't be. And when you are learning to love yourself you shouldn't be harsh with yourself when you hit a bump in the road either. Patience is a virtue. Being more patient with yourself will relieve a huge amount of stress and pressure. Try it and see if you aren't happier almost immediately. And most importantly remember that you are human and you will make mistakes, you will mess up and you will never be perfect. So stop holding yourself to impossible standards and be proud that you are always getting better at something.
Do Something REALLY Nice For Yourself.
You may be picking up on the idea that treating yourself better is a path to learning how to love yourself. That's true as could be. Not only consciously, but perhaps more importantly on a subconscious level. When we've raised our sense of self-worth in our subconscious minds, things really fall into place.
Maybe going to a movie or a restaurant you wanted to check out. Or picking up a little extra something to help you with that hobby you love. If you don't do this often, you need to start too. Pick a night a month (say the third Saturday night if you need a suggestion) and do something really nice for yourself. When you love yourself you deserve this type of treatment, so enjoy.
Now these may sound like simple suggestions, but they work. Positive self-change isn't always complicated. Loving yourself and happiness come hand in hand, so give these tips a try and watch and see if each day you feel better than the last.
I hope you take the time to try these suggestions because they really do work. Please take the time to look through the rest of the content on this site to help you find more techniques and exercises which can help you in your journey to greater happiness.
Alternatively you can get in touch with me and see how I can help you personally and get you results fast like I have done with all my other clients.
I wish you all the happiness you can possibly get! Take care of yourself!
