Self-love the Inner Path That Leads Everywhere

Self-love is a topic that may seem almost cliché, which is a shame as it turns out to be the starting point for all the really fun, exciting, important things in life. Let's learn a little more about self-love.

What self-love isn't

It isn't an ego trip- Some people think that focusing on themselves makes them self-absorbed, there can be a sort of disconnect with the true value of self-love as a result.

It isn't selfish- It can sound selfish to put yourself, and especially your own needs first. However, you want to delve into that response a bit, how is it wrong to care about yourself? When did that become the wrong thing to do? Tending to yourself is not selfish, and if this is one of the patterns you have around self-love, you will want to spend time focusing on self-care.

It may sound uncomfortable to focus on yourself and out of alignment with the idea of compassion or empathy. The thing is when you are truly in a place of self-love, compassion and empathy are natural responses and they happen without much thought, your heart is full and you can easily send love and care to others. That's a huge difference from being in the contracted, fearful state of narcissism.

What self-love is

Truth- The embodiment of truth is the basis of self-love. What this means is that you no longer put someone else's version of the truth before your own. You are able to clearly see the difference between what is yours and what isn't, and work from there. Your truth becomes the catalyst for your path of authentic living.

Growth- Once you establish truth, you set a foundation for your path to emerge in a way it never could before. This means you are going to see lots and lots of growth! Movement, progress, expansion, creativity. You become very fertile with ideas and inspiration when you are in balance with yourself, i.e., when you truly love yourself.

Expression- When you cultivate self-love a funny thing happens; you won't speak in a way that is out of alignment with your truth any longer. You almost can't say yes to things you know aren't right for you. You start to develop a very innate understanding of your own boundaries and you aren't afraid any longer to express those boundaries, why? Because you genuinely care about yourself, and you have likely gone down the wrong path enough times to remember that isn't the sort of experience you want in your life, it simply is no longer worth it. Expression comes to us with time, experience and you got it, lots of self-love.

Heart Connection- Last one, but probably the most important aspect of self-love is the heart connection it creates. When you love yourself, you truly open your heart. You feel what's there, sit with it, allow yourself to process it, and move forward. You no longer judge yourself; you feel your heart filling with love. You bring yourself to a higher level of consciousness by connecting with your heart like this. When this occurs, you are connecting to your own divine nature, your soul, your guides, the divine/universe. All of this is available in your heart. It's where you connect with it all.

This is why the path of self-love, which is an inner path, can take you anywhere in life in the outer experience. Yet, it isn't about what you can gain or where you can go so much, it's more about the way it all feels. You no longer have to feel lack or judgment. You no longer hear the inner critique that once gave you so much trouble and pain. Those old patterns are gone, they were only substantiated by the past. When you make an inner heart connection through self-love, you are free from all that once limited you.

Let the rest unfold.