As we focus on strengths everywhere around us, our self-confidence and feelings of worth are seen. When we focus on the good around us we’ll see our situations improve! See the positive! Recognize accomplishments everywhere! Respect everyone!

Choose to see the good in yourself and others then watch what comes back to you!
Enjoy the Day,
Linda Grace

Like a favored recipe, the making and maintaining of a healthy self-esteem start with the right fresh ingredients lovingly prepared. Here’s a recipe that we all need to add to our lives and enjoy often.

Recipe for a Healthy Self-Esteem:

Start with one part connection Liberally sprinkle with large doses of unique identity Season with a bit of power Stir in positive role models Mix all ingredients together and let self-esteem rise.

This recipe is best if consumed as a regular part of daily life.

After many years of research, Clemes and Bean found that only four basic conditions are necessary for maintaining a high self-esteem: connectiveness, uniqueness, power and role models.

Over the course of the next few blog entries, I will discuss each of these vital conditions with you in detail. Let’s start with Connectiveness.

Connectiveness. The satisfaction a person experiences when he/she feels part of or belongs to something larger (group, family, etc.) than themselves, and when they feel they’re important to those people with whom they “belong”.

 No man is an island. This is more than a clique. It’s the truth. We need each other.

Psychologist Abraham Maslow concluded that the need to belong is one of the five basic needs a human being has, and is only lower than psychological (food, water, shelter) and safety (security, stability, freedom from fear) needs. It’s no wonder that you can belong to almost ANY kind of group in our society, sports, school and church groups, peer, critique, and hobby groups. The list goes on and on.

Take a look at your connections. How connected do you feel? What groups do you belong to? What kind of social framework does your life rest upon? How connected to your family and friends are you?

If the answers to these questions feel a bit sparse, look into ways you can build up that connection in your life.

Connectiveness is an essential ingredient for living a healthy, balanced life and will help ensure that your self-esteem is right where it should be. In

In contrast to how a child belongs in the world, adult belonging is never as natural, innocent, or playful. Adult belonging has to be chosen, received, and renewed. It is a lifetime’s work. –John O’Donahue

Fall in love with yourself, not in a conceited or proud way, but with the adoration that every person on this earth deserves.

We are taught from a young age that it’s vain and wrong to love ourselves, but in reality we are the ultimate and unconditional source of LOVE ITSELF.
The closer we get to unconditionally loving ourselves the more wonderful our lives will be.

10 ways to expedite the process of falling in love with yourself-

1. Praise yourself. Learn to complement everything that you do. See the good that you do and acknowledge it. When you complete a task, you did some things right! Focus on them, feel good about them.

2. Forgive yourself. Forgive yourself and stop putting anger and resentment into your mind that will prevent change.

We all make mistakes remember it’s ok to make mistakes while you’re learning.

3. Support yourself. Ask for help when you need it. Don’t let ego get in the way. People are more than willing to help a person with a positive attitude. It brings joy to the giver as well as the receiver.

4. Stop criticizing yourself. The power of the subconscious is amazing. As we pay attention and become a master observer we’ll realize how deeply rooted our beliefs about ourselves are.

If you were raised in a troubled home you might have become super-responsible.

When you take on that responsibility it’s easy to be critical of yourselves. This responsibility might lead you to think you’re not good enough. You find ways to feel guilty and miserable. The old tapes of being bad, ugly, lazy, or worthless will start to surface.

You must take the time to create and say affirmations to retrain your mind.

5. Take care of your body. Alcohol and drugs are the most popular method of escape. Stuffing food in is another way to hide from emotions.

These indulgences alone do not make a bad person, if these are a part of your life and are your method of escape, you just haven’t found a more positive way of fulfilling your needs. The negative effects of this indulgence far out ways the temporary high of escape and it will add guilt and negative feelings of self.

6. Take nutrition into your own hands. Be aware of what you put into your mouths and how it makes you feel. Food companies and advertisers influence our eating habits. You must get control of your eating.

Many healthy lifestyle diets are popular. Remember what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for everyone; another reason to pay attention, find out which diet works best for you.

Find exercise that you enjoy and do it.

7. Stop scaring yourself. Leave the little kid fear behind, there are no monsters under the bed. Often people fall into sleep dreaming, fearing the worst possibilities – if someone makes a comment at work, or their kids are not making choices that obviously will lead to unhappiness, or if someone doesn’t call,  it is assumed you’re not worthy of love. It is amazing how when you imagine that something is, it will come to pass.

Meditate, visualize optimistic outcomes.

8. Be kind to your mind. Remember negative thoughts are affirmations. When the negative thought comes to your mind, take control. Say to yourself, I’m not going to think about that anymore, I love myself. I am a loveable, kind person.

Negative thoughts will bring you down. Think thoughts that will build you up, not beat you up. These experiences are learning experiences

A mantra is a sacred verbal formula repeated in prayer or meditation. When you choose a word, or a phrase, and say it regularly it will become part of you. Choose a mantra; maybe “Love” or “I love myself.”

9. Don’t pretend to be perfect. No one is perfect. Instead discover creative distinctions that show your individuality and appreciate yourselves for the qualities that make you different from others. Each of you has a unique role to play on this earth.

You can dream big, set goals and work at achieving them. But being perfect puts extreme pressure and prevents you from looking at areas of your lives that need healing.

10. Be patient with yourself. When you feel the love for yourself, recognize your areas of needed growth, and work on them, with no criticism, you will see the world in a new light. Since you don’t criticize others, you won’t worry about others criticizing you. It is amazing how happy you can be.

All you have to do is recognize the love within you.

We’ve been conditioned to believe that our value is dependent on what we’ve done, but it’s not true! When we leave this planet, we can take nothing with us. Nothing except what is in our hearts and minds. We will take with us our capacity to love.

Our very nature is LOVE itself!

Thanks for reading this post~ Tell me in the comments below how you feel about Love and how you’ve learned to love yourself.