Kudos to reader, Elaine from Newfoundland, Canada, who, upon taking my suggestion for a V-Day gift last year, wrote something she appreciated about her honey on each playing card! Can you imagine doing that for yourself?!
Love Is in the Air…
And Today, I’d Like You to Re-Fall in Love With… Yourself.
Not the filtered, polished, social media version of you. Your four-year-old self. The one who knew they were smart. Creative. Beautiful. Capable of absolutely anything.
When someone complimented that four-year-old version of you, you didn’t deflect. You didn’t shrink. You didn’t say, “Oh, it was nothing.”
You said, with a giant grin: “I know!”
That’s who we were before the world got hold of us. Before comparison crept in. Before we absorbed other people’s insecurities. Before we started measuring ourselves against standards we didn’t create.
Somewhere along the way, confidence turned into something we were told to tone down. Self-belief got mistaken for arrogance. And appreciation of our gifts felt… uncomfortable.
But here’s the truth:
We don’t have to…
- Be perfect to be pretty great.
- Be conceited to appreciate what we bring to the table.
- Belittle others to validate ourselves.
- Focus only on what we haven’t done, when we’ve accomplished so much.
- Believe every story that’s been placed upon us.
- Stay who we were yesterday, when we’re allowed to grow today.
That four-year-old is still in there. Still creative. Still capable. Still wildly hopeful.
What if today you spoke to yourself the way you would speak to that child?
What if you celebrated progress instead of chasing perfection?
What if you smiled and said, just once, “I know.”
February 13 is Self-Love Day; Self-Love is both an art and a lifelong journey, but know for certain that love is in the air.
Let some of it land on you.
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In Case You Missed It - A Love Letter
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On the Nightstand
Revenge of the Tipping Point - Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering by Malcolm Gladwell - Riveting, I highly recommend the audio version of this book.
Stephanie Staples
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