The Journey towards Self-Love and Self-Discovery

The journey to self-love is a journey that is not easy to embark upon, but it’s one that is well worth it.  As a woman, I’ve experienced low self-esteem therefore, my confidence has not always been at its highest. I realize now that it’s a part of the human experience to deal with such things, but I have also realized that we can gain control of these experiences and determine what we allow to affect us.  I’m one of the many people who may still watch episodes of Catfish on MTV. It bothers me to watch/hear the reasons behind the motivation to Catfish people online. Most of what I’m hearing is always centered around one simple fact, they don’t like themselves and it’s easier to pretend to be someone whom they are not online. It’s a common thing that happens today and I’ve discovered profiles online that have used my pictures, although I’m semi flattered, I’m also extremely confused and utterly weirded out. Why is that we struggle with being the individual that God created us to be? The beauty of it all is that we are not supposed to look the same, we are not supposed to be the same, and we are not supposed to offer the world the same thing. We were created differently and uniquely because our purpose in life is both different and unique.

The basis of self-love is discovering who you truly are as an individual and loving those things that make who you are as an individual. You can’t fall in love with a person you don’t know. We live in a society that makes a point to emphasize the importance of being loved by someone else, and making that the priority in life while failing to emphasize the importance of loving yourself first. In order for someone else to love you, you have to first love yourself.

Since I've been single and I've had lots of time to myself.  I've been able to really get to know Kelly as an individual, love everything about Kelly, and overall become this individual who loves herself and knows herself. Here are a few things that I've done during my time being single to help me love and discover who I am as an individual.

1.   Take yourself out and treat yourself to something you know you deserve/like. Go purchase that item you've been putting on hold for whatever the reason and purchase it. You love it and You know you'd enjoy it! Go treat yourself! Love yourself to buy something you know you'd enjoy and love because you deserve it. 

2.   Do something you would normally do with a group, alone. For example, go to the movies alone, eat lunch at a cafe alone, go to a restaurant alone and have dinner. (At first this may be awkward, but this is something you have to grow into).

3.   Enjoy a night on the town doing things you love (if your friends aren't interested in going, go alone). Go visit that Museum, go to the Open Mic Night, go to the exclusive event for one night!

4.   Volunteer to meet/assist new people. There are many organizations that you can volunteer and render your services. It's a great way to build your resume, make connections, learn a new skill, and meet new people!

5.   Join a small group and make new friends, you will discover new interests and actually have some fun. 

Learning to love yourself is the first step towards building your confidence. Just like most people I have struggled with low-self esteem and confidence issues. Today, I'm most certain many people wouldn't believe such a thing, but it's true. If you can learn to love yourself first just the way God made you, you can ultimately boost your confidence. Make sure you check back later for my post about how you can boost your confidence before 9AM