Honour and Love Yourself

As a youngster, treating myself with dignity and love was either something I ignored, didn't do, didn't think I deserved, or felt was totally selfish. 

Karen

Little did I know as a wee girl/teenager/young adult that honouring myself, loving myself and putting my needs first is the single most important thing I could do to ensure my emotional, spiritual and physical wellbeing.  

It took me a long time to be okay with saying the word 'No', to protect myself and honour my belief system, to not succumb to peer pressure because I was afraid of offending others and to stand up for myself in situations that were dishonouring me as a person on an emotional and spiritual level. 

It is never too late to start loving and honouring yourself. Would you believe that honouring Karen is a reasonably new concept for me?  I tell you it feels GREAT. It is entirely freeing to say No and mean it.  It is liberating to be true to myself - to speak my truth and not worry whether someone thinks I am a fruit loop or whether I am going to be judged.  
If those things happen in life (and they do) that is the other person's issue, not mine. 

I remember a wise old friend telling me once - "Karen what other people think of you is none of your business"  #truthrightthere.  I used to get so tied up in knots about silly stuff like that - now I let those who get tied up in knots about me, my life, beliefs, or way of living, deal with their own knots!!

I love me today

I love that I am spiritual

I love that I crave a spiritual connection

I love my sense of humour

I love that I put myself first
  
I love that I have loving, accepting, beautiful friends that love me for who I am

I love that I have 4 children gifted to me who have taught me more about unconditional love and acceptance than any other 4 humans on the planet

I love my smile

I love my body

I love that I care deeply for others

I love that I am loyal

I also love that that I have had  some hard, painful times. The hard knocks in life might well floor you, but when you dust yourself down and stand back up, you are a new, stronger person with much more clarity and self awareness.

I love too that I have battled with food issues all my life because it makes me wholly empathetic towards those who struggle with eating issues (it's not about greed or laziness folks!) This is a passion of mine so watch out for a new blog dedicated to just this subject. 

We human beings are a complex lot. Our ways of thinking, believing, expressing ourselves in day to day living, or creatively, our values, morals and thought processes are entirely individual. In my opinion, it's a good thing to celebrate the differences and learn lessons from each other while being careful not to force our way of living/thinking/believing onto another and vice versa.  

Mind you, I am not saying that we should be so heavenly bound we are of no earthly use and put up with continuously toxic people, places or things. The whole point of honouring and loving yourself is being able to stop your exposure to such situations.  

When you have love and honour for yourself you are powerful beyond measure. Remember that!