How do we begin to love ourselves? What are the steps to take to expand our understanding and attention for ourselves? Charles Fillmore, the co-founder of Unity, states love is the energy that emanates from the heart and wants the best for ourselves and others. How do we desire the best for ourselves? The first step in honoring that we are beloved expressions of God. The second step is to claim that we are unique, individual Beings and stop comparing ourselves to each other. Changing this habit can be a long road if we are used to determining our worth based on what we see in others and then seeing ourselves as less than. However, we can utilize this habit of comparing to our benefit. Let’s shift this a bit and look at seeing qualities in others in a way we can embrace ourselves. Choose five people that you admire and write down what you love about them. Next, look at your five lists and see what characteristics you have in all five lists that are the same. For example, one of the qualities I admire in people is authenticity. How many of my five lists have authenticity on them? On my list, all five are authentic in my perception. I would circle each one. Now look for other themes.
Circle any attribute you have three or more times. As you do this, reflect where in your life do you express these aspects. Celebrate yourself for each quality you circled for another person. If you can see the attribute in another, you have it to some degree within you already. As a part of our Oneness with each other, once we understand we have each quality within us, we can focus on it to expand. We can look for it as we interact with others. We can ask ourselves simple questions such as “Did I express ________________ today?” Have fun exploring ways to love yourself more fully. You will be surprised how much love you draw to you when you truly do this practice.
