(Disclaimer: This blog will be a little personal, but I hope you all LOVE it.)

“Love yourself first”

This quote is one of the most impactful quotes I have ever heard about self love. How can we expect others to love who we are, if we can’t love who we are? If we can’t see the beauty in our imperfections and flaws, that we often view as shortcomings?

 I think one of the most rewarding things I have ever done, was to learn how to love myself. When I say love myself, I mean love myself with all my ugly scars, imperfections, and flaws. This self love did not occur overnight. And I can truly say that I have been on a constant journey of self love. I have had good days and bad days in regards to how I felt about myself, I still have good days and bad days. But I must say that this journey has been very fulfilling. This summer I have really realized my worth and beauty, and I’m not just speaking on my physical beauty. I’m talking about my internal beauty as well. It’s so easy to pinpoint my flaws and errors, but difficult to highlight my positive attributes and characteristics. So this summer I charged myself with the task of not wearing makeup. I realized how dependent I was on wearing it to enhance my beauty. I am not against makeup, but my skin was not glowing how I wanted it to. However, this summer has made me fall in love with myself, all over again. I no longer wear foundation or spend an hour in front of the mirror making sure my foundation is blended properly or that my highlight is poppin’ (I do miss my highlight lol). Now, I only do my eyebrows and wear mascara, and still that’s not an everyday thing. I changed my skin care routine, too, and I have noticed a difference! I also drank LOTS of water, much more than normal, and I definitely plan on making this a habit. I can not wait to see how my skin will continue to flourish. I am typing this to say, this summer I was changing internally, realizing how trivial some things were and what really mattered to me. And I also reflected this change on the outside, by letting go of what people would think if they saw me bare faced, brows a mess, etc. I must say I am loving the person I am becoming.

He or she may be exceptional, but you are exceptional too. 

It’s so easy for us to compliment and praise others, but often when it’s time to do so for ourselves, we fall short. We compare ourselves to others and emphasize what we lack that others have. I am telling you DON’T keep this pattern up. You are more than enough just the way you are. She may be pretty, but you are pretty too! She may have these features that you admire, but promise me, someone is seeing features in you that they admire. YOU can see features in you that you admire. And remember, it is okay to embrace your flaws. Nobody is perfect and no one will ever be, no matter how hard we pretend. The things we often dislike about ourselves are the unique things that make us who we are. There will never be another you like you. So yeah, she may be pretty, but you’re pretty too.

“Wish I was comfortable just with myself.”

– Supermodel by SZA

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Don’t constantly belittle yourself or feel like you are falling short. I promise you are not. Be comfortable with you and who you are. And if you’re looking for love from someone, I guarantee you’re looking for it from the wrong person. He/she can and will never love you like YOU love yourself. And how can you let someone love you, when you’re struggling to love yourself? So it’s okay to step back, away from people, and focus on you. Focus on what you want, what you need, and focus on the truly great things about you. The person you thought you were looking for may come along when you least expect it, and if not you’ve always got yourself.

Remember, self love isn’t just about loving yourself for your physical attributes and characteristics, but also loving the way you process situations, the way you don’t crack under pressure OR the way you crack under pressure.

I was VERY excited to write this post today. Hopefully this has been something that everyone can relate to and also encourage you on your own personal journey of self love.

So I leave you with this quote,

“You yourself as much as much as anybody in the entire universe deserves your love and affection.”

– Buddha

Love,

Janna Alane