Learning to love yourself is essential to the cultivation of who you are, your confidence and your creative expression. With a little self-reflection, a lot of soul searching and a conscious connection to spirituality and purpose, you too can create a life of self-love. Just remember to be patient, be consistent and be open to the flow.
Self Love
The idea that one must love his or herself before loving others was not an easy concept for me. I always thought it should be the other way around - as your love grows for others, your love for self grows. Boy was I wrong!
In life, it's difficult to love other people if you haven't first learned to love yourself. This can be even more difficult if we haven't experienced genuine love from others while growing up. When we're children, our first loves are those who have shown us unconditional care and affection through their words and deeds.
If we were lucky enough to have had parents or teachers show us love by spending quality time and being fully engaged in our needs and interests, we know how it feels to be loved, secure in who we are and free to express. But if we didn't, we may find it even more challenging to learn to love ourselves. But it is possible for everyone with time, effort, and consistency.
Confidence
I didn't truly start the journey of learning to love myself until I was about 30. By age 45, I was confident enough to be able to express the love I had for myself to others and in front of the mirror. With maturity and experience, as well as forgiveness, I was able to build myself into a strong, empowered woman who loved me for who I was both inside and out. And I know, you can do it to.
One way to cultivate this confidence is to begin by telling yourself that you are beautiful everyday! Journal your feelings, jot down your strengths and take inventory of what makes you special. Be consistent! The more you do it, the more second nature it becomes.
Another confidence builder is to find something worth pursuing. First, seek to understand and clarify your values. This provides the direction and motivation needed to determine your goals and your purpose. When we take time to do this, we are engaging in one of the truest forms of self-love - learning to define who we are.
When we know who we are, what we are willing to do and the direction we are headed in life, we gain the confidence to walk in our power.
Creative Expression
Self love is not just about speaking kindly to ourselves or walking in our purpose either. Self love can be applied to other disciplines as well such as creative expression, dance, and the arts. The more we become aware of who we are, everything we do can become an act of self love and an expression of our creative spirit.
Imagine this... you envision a piece of choreography because of a recent song you heard, or movie, or experience that has happened to you. You begin to connect your spirit with your imagination with your body movement. You allow the music to flow through you as you dance to the tune of your own beat - arms waving, feet gliding, hair twirling.
In this space, you embrace your natural imagination and intuition, which helps to build your confidence and creative expression. Another self-love practice at its finest!
Patience, Consistency and Going with the Flow
Self-love isn’t always an easy thing, but it can be learned and cultivated with time, the desire to do better for yourself, patience and consistency. Start small - a simple smile in the mirror in the mornings, then expand as you're ready.
Make self-care a priority and be consistent. Go with the flow of life, be open to the signs, pursue your dreams and check in with yourself regularly. Choose things that make you happy and connect with others who share a similar vibe.
FloFiyah & F.E.E.D. Are Here for You
Developing a relationship with yourself can be the greatest source of confidence and purpose, and at Flofiyah, we strive to support others on their unique journey.
We do this through dance instruction, our signature F.E.E.D. Experiences and our intimate connection with those we teach. We also do this through our personal acts of self-care to ensure we have the fuel necessary to meet life's demands.