“Dedicate yourself to Love. Decide to let Love be your intention, your purpose, and your point. And then let Love inspire you, support you and guide you in every other dedication you make thereafter.” ~Robert Holden
What does it mean to dedicate yourself to love? What were the first things that came to mind when reflecting on this question? Did you think about how dedicated you are to loving and nurturing others? Did you reflect on all the ways you show up in the world with love? Did you include how you love yourself when reflecting on how you dedicate yourself to love?
If you left yourself off the list, you are not alone. As mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, grandmothers, aunts, and caregivers of any kind, we have consistently been expected to love and nurture everyone else in our lives and rarely encouraged to include ourselves on our love list. Instead, we have been given the message that it is selfish to take time for ourselves and indulgent to love ourselves. As a result, many women feel guilty prioritizing themselves in their lives and consistently devote their time, love, and affection to others without refilling their own cups.
The expectation that women should be self-sacrificing is unsustainable and has led many women to feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and unsatisfied in their lives. And the saddest thing is that we end up blaming ourselves for feeling this way rather than challenging the unrealistic expectations we hold ourselves to.
But this can all change one choice at a time. If you are ready to dedicate yourself to love this year, let’s make loving yourself the cornerstone. The beautiful thing is that the more we love ourselves, the more we value ourselves, making prioritizing ourselves easier and gives us access to more love to share in the world. Self-nurturing is the fastest way to demonstrate love to yourself, as the practice is about developing a relationship with yourself rather than another “to do” on your “to do” list.
As you intentionally commit to the art of self-nurturing this year, you will feel an ongoing invitation to prioritize your health and wellbeing and have practical ways to demonstrate love to yourself. When you bring the intention of progress not perfection to the dance, you will feel more inspired to find new and creative ways to love and care for yourself. Over time nurturing yourself will become a way of being and will support you in remaining filled up so that you can give from the overflow of your cup rather than your last drops. And the blessing is that the more filled up your cup is, the more love, kindness, and compassion you will have to bring to the world.
Here are four ways you can explore loving yourself:
Intention: Set an intention to be loving to yourself throughout the day. Create a mantra or affirmation that reinforces your intention. The affirmation I repeat is “I am love. I choose love. I radiate love.” This affirmation reminds me that love begins with me and how I treat myself. When we ground ourselves with the intention of loving ourselves, our intention becomes a self-nurturing practice designed to support all others. What will your loving intention be?
Inspire: Loving ourselves will inspire us to recognize the good in ourselves and help us view the world more positively. We will be inspired to connect more easily to the awe and wonder around us and be filled up by the beauty and blessings in our lives. When we allow love to inspire how we treat ourselves and make choices, we will be empowered to live more authentically and creatively express who we are in the world. How will love inspire you?
Support: Ultimately love is the greatest support in the world. Love shows up at the most challenging times and at the most joyful moments! When we love and nurture ourselves, we demonstrate the same kindness and support we would give to a dear friend. Loving ourselves also encourages us to ask for help from others and reminds us we deserve the support. Love is the nurturing energy that supports us in navigating life with ease, grace, gratitude, and compassion. When we accept the support love has to offer, we have the confidence and faith to live our lives to the fullest. How can love support you today?
Guide: The writer Elizabeth Gilbert has a daily self-nurturing practice of writing a letter to herself from love. Before she begins, she asks, “Dear Love, what would you have me know today?” She then invites love itself to write a letter to her and allows love to guide her day. She has invited people around the world to join in this beautiful nurturing practice and regularly shares people’s love letters to inspire others. What does love want you to know and how will love guide you today?
Elizabeth Gilbert’s wise words remind us to open to the ocean of love available to us, “To condemn yourself as unlovable is to swallow a terrible lie. And to believe that you must earn love through perfectionism, or that you must seek love from others in order to become whole, turns all of us into hungry beggars. I believe there is an ocean of warm, affectionate, and outrageously unconditional love available to us all – and that it is conveniently accessible from within. I don’t believe anyone is excluded from this ocean of love; it is only a question of learning how to hear it, how to feel it, how to trust it.”
When we intentionally choose to love ourselves and make that the cornerstone of loving others, we will be inspired, supported, and guided by love to live our most beautiful, authentic, and love filled lives!
May you be inspired to love yourself wholeheartedly as you continue to nurture peace in the world from the inside out!
Sending you peace, love and gratitude, Kelley
