Please enjoy this excerpt from You, Beautiful: Getting gorgeous from the inside-out. available now on amazon!
No time to read? Listen here!
Contrary to what we’ve been encouraged to believe, self-care, self-love, and self-esteem aren’t synonymous with self-ish. It deeply concerns me when these phrases are equated with navel-gazing self-involvement and even in some conversations, blamed for the demise of family and community!
Seriously?!
A beginning, not an end!
Caring for ourselves, loving ourselves, and definitely respecting ourselves…these actions are the beginnings of healthy families and communities, not the end! In families, love and respect for each other, especially for children as they grow and change and eventually start their own lives, is foundational. Families comprised of people who live these concepts are safe and supportive spaces. Communities filled with people with a strong sense of self-respect are welcoming and inclusive neighborhoods of involved people who look out for each other and are genuinely grateful for each other’s kindness and support.
Even companies that encourage employees to take care of themselves with healthy work/life balance and speak up for what they believe in inspire loyalty and develop strong workers and teams committed to each other and to the organization’s goals.
Inside-out
Because — and this part is for all the marbles — care, love, and esteem begin with us, but they don’t end there. As we nurture ourselves, we get stronger. We also get equipped and build confidence that makes us eager to support the people around us. When we make time to care for ourselves, we have the physical and spiritual energy to do the same for other people.
Care, love, and esteem are inside-out propositions. When we are healthy, loving, and full of self-respect, we can’t help but put these qualities out into the world.