3 Books Entrepreneurs Should Read Before the End of the Year

One of the most common characteristics of an entrepreneur is their desire to learn as much as they can. They learn not only because it provides them …

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7 Truths About Learning To Love Yourself

I have recently discovered that I don’t think I truly love myself.

I thought I did, but in my moments of heaviness, it’s harder to convince myself, meaning there are clearly doubts within me.

Here are some lessons I’ve been discovering as I explore what self-love is:

1. Loving yourself should be no different than loving someone else.

When you love someone, you want to give them the world. You want to bring them happiness and will give them nothing less than everything, yet it can be hard to feel that way about yourself. Why? Because to some degree, we may not want to accept our flaws, or knowing our flaws, we don’t think we are deserving of good things. We have to nurture a loving loyalty to ourselves just as we would with another person.

2. Loving yourself is whatever you need it to be.

It does not necessarily mean screaming “I love you” at yourself in the mirror. Loving yourself can mean sleeping early if you know you need to wake up early the next morning. It can mean pushing back personal deadlines or treating yourself to something you’ve wanted. A large part of this lesson is simply knowing to take care of yourself, because that is what everyone needs.

3. Loving yourself means validating your own feelings.

Allowing yourself to feel what you feel is important, even if it means feeling uncomfortable with yourself at times. There may be times you feel ashamed for being angry, embarrassed that you’re sad, or resentful that you’re jealous. Emotions are complex, but you need to give yourself the right to express all of them. Bottling up your feelings or convincing yourself that your feelings are insignificant never works out.

4. Loving yourself means believing you deserve to be happy.

This can be one of the hardest and longest struggles of learning to love yourself. You can remind yourself of how reliable your support system is, what a kind and loving individual you are, and a million other things, but thoughts don’t always align with feelings. It can be easy to get swept in the negatives and stop believing that you are deserving, but you are. Everyone deserves happiness.

5. Loving yourself means allowing yourself to be surrounded by the people and things you love.

Don’t isolate yourself from the people who care about you or try to convince yourself that you have to move past all hardships on your own. Learn to embrace the company of loved ones even if it can feel scary or foreign to depend on others. Allow their support to guide you as you continue your journey of self-love. Surrounding yourself with hobbies is also essential. Pull out old favorite movies or books. Keep dancing, singing, cooking, painting, or doing whatever lifts the weight on your heart.

6. Loving yourself means making yourself a priority and realizing you cannot control the actions of others.

Know that you have people you care about you, but also know that you are the only person who can fully prioritize yourself. We are all living for ourselves, yet our own wellbeing can be the easiest to neglect. Our feelings of self-love may be swayed by others, but we need to remember that the actions of others are not in our control. Outside factors inevitably impact us, but we cannot let the actions of others redefine our sense of self-worth. It can be hard to accept this lack of control, but focus on your own actions and what you can do for yourself rather than fixate on others.

7. Learning to love yourself is a scary, difficult and ongoing process.

You can tell yourself a million times that you deserve happiness yet never believe it. You may make unpleasant discoveries about yourself along the way, but never run from this exploration of self-love. While you can wear a façade of being fine in front of other people, you cannot trick yourself.

I may not fully love myself yet, but I will continue to nurture my confidence and emotions until the day I can believe the things I tell myself. I hope that you will do the same for yourself.

* This article was originally published here

When You’re Too Lost To Know What You’re Missing

I think our entire lives we’ve been conditioned to think that our life starts the day we finally find the person we are supposed to spend the rest of our lives with. I think that every person on this planet deserves genuine, real, and authentic love, but rather than letting it find us, we become obsessed with looking for it. And until we’ve found it, we feel lost and unfulfilled.

We hold on so tightly to the loves that almost were. We fall so in love with the idea of someone being our forever that we don’t even allow ourselves the grace of getting to know them before we become irreversibly attached.

I’ve always assumed that this lingering feeling of lostness would dissipate once I found the person I wanted to spend my life with.

But I picture my life 10 years down the road: The love is no longer new. It is not as exciting as it once was. It doesn’t provide the same unparalleled joy.

And I ask myself: Will that love still get me out of bed in the morning? Will that love be the thing that I am the most proud of? Will that love give me total fulfillment? Will that love nourish my soul in all the ways that it deserves? Is that love the thing that I am the most passionate about?

Maybe, maybe not. But that is a risk that I am not willing to take.

So here is what I know now: The obsession that our society has created around finding your person is a distraction that temporarily takes us away from the total and complete lostness we feel within ourselves.

I have been grasping at love so hard because I am grasping for something to make me feel whole.

I don’t know who I am yet. I don’t know what I am missing.

And if I were to meet the love of my life tomorrow, those things would still be true. I still would not know who I am. I still wouldn’t know what I am missing. I still would not know what my greatest passion is.

When I am alone, I want to feel like I am not just existing, but I am living. I do not want this feeling of lostness to return even when the dust settles. I do not want another person to make me feel complete. I want to feel that wholeness on my own.

I am no longer a victim to the illusion of wholeness given by a partner. I will find it within myself. I will be my own savior.

* This article was originally published here

Read This When You Feel Worthless

I hope you know how miraculous you are. Despite the unsurmountable suffering you may be facing. Regardless of how dire your circumstances appear. I believe in you.

I believe in you, but I will not lie to you. Sometimes the people, jobs, and goals that keep us suffering never improve. We might never earn their love. We might not get the promotion we deserve. We might never accomplish that goal that feels like our purpose.

Sometimes quitting is the ultimate goal. At times, quitting might feel like failure. Yet, when you look back, you will know it as success.

There will come a day when you recognize your worth.

Stop pouring all your love into the people who cannot love you back. Maybe it is their trauma. Maybe they have a great excuse for not loving you the way you need to be loved. Stop assuming that their story is your burden to carry. You deserve love. They deserve it too, but they simply are not accepting yours. Move on. You both deserve love, but together, you will not find it.

Stop dedicating yourself to a job that would replace you in an instant. Nothing is worth your peace. Perhaps the salary is wonderful. Maybe the vacation days are great. I understand there are reasons for staying that I could not comprehend. I still promise you this: Better things await you.

I have lived for weekly paychecks. I can promise you that the numbers adding up in my bank account never provided me the level of satisfaction that submitting my resignation did. I have lived for vacations. I can promise you that the holidays I spent recovering never made up for the days I starved myself of happiness.

Ask yourself this: Why are you dedicating your loyalty to anything that considers your happiness a worthy sacrifice?

Stop beating yourself up for all that you did not accomplish. Dreams are the magic elixirs of hope. They keep us moving forward. Yet, if you are chasing dreams that leave you breathless, perhaps it is time to take a moment to catch your breath. Reevaluate the situation. Are you chasing your dreams or an old story no longer meant for you? It is okay to change directions.

I believe there is magic inside of you that you have not discovered. I know you have hidden talents that remain untapped. I am certain there are people on this planet wishing for someone like you to hire, to love, to support, and all you need to do is decide. Decide to quit.

Quit being so hard on yourself. You are worthy simply for showing up to each new day. It cannot be earned or lost. Your worth is determined by your existence. It simply is.

I know this moment feels hopeless. When things become dire it can be tempting to give up on your soul. Instead, I hope you give up on the things that are starving your soul. What are you feeding that leaves you hungry? Take back your source.

Sometimes it is not that easy. There are bills to pay, people relying on you, or things that must be done. Take a moment to recognize that this does not have to be your circumstance forever. I believe in you because I know what is inside of you.

Take a moment to look inside.

Close your eyes. Place your hands on your heart and know that there is hope because you are still here. Place your hands on your belly and know that there is hope because you are still full of life and dreams unrecognized. Place your hands on your lap and allow your palms to remain open. Open yourself up to receiving.

Allow yourself to slow down. Find a moment of gratitude and notice one thing that is going right, even if it is simply your beating heart or your breathing belly.

When your mind is still and your body is calm, you will remember your truth. You were not placed on this earth to suffer. You are capable and worthy of love. You are worthy of fulfillment. You are worthy just as you are.

I have looked inside the hearts and minds of thousands. I have heard stories of shame and suffering. My job is to witness the sorrows of people. I hold their secrets, but this secret I cannot keep inside.

Beneath every story that is told there is a current of truth. We are loved. We are worthy. We are enough. Just as we are.

Breathe and remind yourself of this truth. Eliminate anything and anyone that tries to convince you this is a lie. Then you will find your peace.

* This article was originally published here

Scripted TV & Video: 'Crazy-Town Drama Queen' | Backstage

Casting "Crazy-Town Drama Queen," a new YouTube TV series focusing on dating and personal development.

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Rock Springs Students Earn Wyoming Congressional Awards | SweetwaterNOW

CHEYENNE — The Wyoming Congressional Award Council announced that 92 outstanding Wyoming youth earned bronze, silver and gold Congressional Awards in …

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5 Fears Successful People Never Let Get The Best Of Them

The old cautionary saying, "don't let your emotions get the best of you," has some science to it. Whether it's a negative emotion, like anger, or a positive one, like happiness, allowing your emotions to hold sway can bias your decisions. Moreover, few emotions are as powerful in influencing how you …

* This article was originally published here