You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection. ~ Buddha Click To Tweet
Though ‘success’ is a relative term, depending on your particular goals, most of us would agree that the mere act of striving and achieving something is one of the greatest joys in life. Accomplishments let us know that we not only worked hard, had diligence and were purposeful, but that we also did something to deserve the fruits of our labor. What many people sometimes forget is that this cannot happen in a vacuum.
Self-love is the most vital piece of any journey that ends in success. Without the love of oneself, your successes will be short-lived, one-dimensional or not fully savored. Self-love is the foundation from which all positive things arise — this includes relationships, our careers and hobbies, and yes, even ‘literal’ successes. Here’s why you can’t have the latter without an intrinsic reverence for yourself.
1) Without True Self Love, You’ll Lack Confidence
If you don’t possess self-love, you won’t have the belief in yourself that is required to reach for your dreams. You won’t have the belief that you can achieve them or that you even deserve them. Many of the people that do end up successful in some way got there because they were tenacious and tireless and very committed to that thing. And they possessed these qualities because they believed in themselves. They had the confidence and the faith to see it through to fruition.
2) If You Lack Self Love, You Lack Self Awareness
Self-love means that you take the time to know yourself, your strengths and your weakness. You don’t beat yourself up for them, but you simply have a complete understanding of how they can contribute to your successes.
If you lack self-love, you may be attempting to obtain something that you don’t ultimately even want in the long run. You might even be apt to work towards a specific goal that you don’t have the inherent ability to achieve simply based on the type of person you are.
Self-love will help you pick goals more aligned with your fundamental disposition. You’ll also be able to better hone the vision of what you want when you achieve this deep understanding, and thus deep love, for yourself.
3) High Self Love Equals A High Inclination Towards Forgiveness
No matter what you deem as a real success, you won’t be able to obtain it until you realize that you are imperfect and that you will make mistakes. There are going to be bumps in the road.
When you have truly cultivated a sense of deep self-love, you can better handle the setbacks that will undoubtedly come your way during your journey towards success.
You’ll be able to forgive yourself for your mistakes, instead of dwelling on them and harboring a self-depricating ill-will which always, quickly, becomes counter-productive.
Self-love allows you to put tough times in perspective and prevents you from getting off track.
4) Self Love Leaves You Free To Focus
What many people don’t grasp when they are in the depths of self-loathing and self-pity is that they are exerting a significant amount of energy for a negative task. A task that will not ultimately bring them any closer to their goal or dream.
When you stop beating yourself up and accept the gifts that you have to offer, your mind becomes free, and your energy can then be directed in more beneficial ways that will behoove you in the long run. You won’t spend countless, unnecessary hours dwelling on your shortcomings. Instead, you’ll be fastened securely in your strengths, leaving you more room to focus on how to achieve what you want.
