The journey into self-love starts with a simple, yet profound question: 

What is the best gift you could give to yourself? 

Do you realize that you are the most important person in your life?!

There is no one who knows you and understands you more than you do. In this world we have so many forces upon us that discourage self-love. I am talking about the real and true self-love, you know, that’s free of judgement, negative self talk, unforgiveness, or comparisons - concepts like that. True self love is full of acceptance, caring, honest assessment with forgiveness and compassion, honoring, and celebrating the uniqueness of you!

Limiting Self Concepts

We can only live up to the self concepts we hold of ourselves. What are your conscious and unconscious self concepts? If patterns of failure, frustration, difficulties, rejection or burnout repeat in your life, look to the self concepts you have that are fueling these experiences. These can be concepts you don’t even realize you are entertaining.

1. Look for patterns of repetition to discover the subconscious self concepts that need to be addressed and upgraded:

None of us are free of programming. We all collect those messages heard, and unheard (those that are subconsciously felt), that were truly just projections of other’s lack of self-love.

2. Stop to question and challenge these programmed messages:

As you practice self-love, these concepts grow to expand the loving truths, and life begins to resonate with these new vibrations. All of us are only responsible for our own self concepts. We just need to be willing to release the old ones, and embrace and practice the new ones.

3. Listen to your internal messaging:

When we focus on ourselves and our needs, do we believe this is selfishness? If everyone, when serving others, took the biggest piece of cake for themselves, wouldn’t that mean that every time you serve another, you would also graciously take care of yourself? That would be balance. Truly, everyone gets a chance to serve the biggest piece of cake.

The most loving thing you can do for yourself, and for others, is to accept that we are all living the life created from our own personal concepts. We are only truly responsible for our own point of view.

Feelings of shame and guilt are big reminders that something isn’t right with our mindset. Learn to take these feelings as queues to search for deeper answers. Our self concepts can never come from outside ourselves, on the contrary, we must decide our own self worth and our self value.

I recently found this journal entry from 2006:

“If I could say there was a central theme to my life, I would say I wanted more than anything to figure out how to ease suffering. I have spent my life to this point trying to discover the reasons and the persistence of suffering. Suffering on all levels of being; physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Suffering on one hand because we compare ourselves to others, and suffering on the other hand because we make others incorrect to make ourselves feel better. This will never work.”

As a nurturing personality, it is easy for me to be a caregiver, but I am discovering, as I make myself a priority, I have more willingness and more desire to be loving and accepting of everyone else.

I truly believe we can only love others to the depths we love ourselves. What a different world this would be if everyone practiced self-love. Tell me, friends, what are the ways that giving to yourself allows you to be more open to giving to others?

Skincare as a Pathway to Self-Love:

In the quiet moments of morning or the calm of night, when we gently apply nourishment to our skin, we are engaging in a ritual older than memory—the ritual of self-love.

We believe that the act of caring for one's skin transcends physical wellness, helping one move into a space of self-acceptance. I've written this at-home facial ritual to make your skincare routine a practice of self-care.

Often seen as a routine of necessity, skincare holds the potential to be a transformative practice, a daily reaffirmation of our worth and beauty. Each step in our skincare regimen is an opportunity to reflect on the qualities we nurture within ourselves—just as we apply serums rich in antioxidants to combat external stresses, we fortify our spirits against life's challenges with positivity and resilience. Consider our beloved Nectar serum, infused with nurturing argan oil and raspberry seed oil, not merely as products, but as tools for meditation on self-care and renewal.

Begin your day by cleansing with Luster, our gentle facial cleanser. As you massage the cleanser in circular motions across your face, consider this an act of clearing away not just the impurities of the skin, but also the mental clutter and doubts that may have settled in your mind overnight. 

As the day unfolds, a quick spritz of Hydrate can uplift your spirits and refresh your complexion. In these moments, breathe deeply and affirm your intention to create a loving reality for yourself.

Let your one-of-a-kind shine!