How Self-Love Can Help You Create The Life (And Career) You Want It is important to love ourselves, because the relationship we have with ourselves determines the quality of every other relationship in our life, be it personal or work.
By Meher Anand Mirchandani Edited by Aby Sam Thomas
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We often approach our work with a lot of weight and a number of aggressive evaluations of our performance. The tiny voice in our minds gives marching orders to work harder, try harder, and when the performance isn't up to its own standards, it delivers some very unnecessarily brutal commentary.
We often struggle with what we are meant to be doing, and what we want to do. We live in conflict on many aspects inside us. Although it's great to push to keep performing better at work and other areas, what we are finding ourselves needing is a loving inner companion, instead of a biting critic.
The cultivation of such a kind voice is much more powerful to help us get to where we want, and create the career and life we want. This, in effect, is called self-love. Self-love is the process of knowing yourself, connecting with your inner self, overcoming self-limiting beliefs, letting go of everything that doesn't serve you, and falling in love with yourself.
It is important to love ourselves, because the relationship we have with ourselves determines the quality of every other relationship in our life, be it personal or work. Only when we are in a loving relationship with ourselves can we reflect that love in other areas of our life.
After all, the relationship we have with our work is not different that the relationship we have with our family or food or money. The more in love you are with yourself, the more fulfilled we will feel at work. As we start to become aware of the power of self-love and connection with ourself, we shall start experiencing the below:
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1. We gain courage because we know ourselves Once we honor and know ourselves for who we are, we are no longer afraid of taking risks and moving outside our comfort zone. Self-love helps silence our inner critic, and instead befriend it to serve us rather than taunt us. We are able to take that leap of faith while making decisions and working on our vision to succeed in the business world. We develop confidence in what we stand for, because we know who we are from within.
2. We bring our authentic self to our work When we accept ourselves wholly for who we are, people around us start seeing us in the same light. When we operate from our authentic self to serve our work/mission/vision, we gain power to deliver our best for our own satisfaction. It is no longer a game to be played to please others. Fear of rejection is not a barrier anymore to move ahead and progress, because we have accepted ourselves the way we are. We are able to let go of self-judgment, thoughts, opinions, and people who are not aligned with us.
3. We are always charged and energized When we prioritize ourselves and our well-being, we are less likely to experience burn out and illness. Our immunity is at the optimum, as we care about health, fitness, and what we eat. We can often get so caught up in taking everything so seriously that we start running on autopilot that we forget that the most important thing in life is actually our own well-being. When we are an inspiration to ourselves, then our energy is created from within.
4. We enjoy the journey, rather than wait for the destination We often are made to believe that happiness is a destination to be reached after we acquire all kinds of material objects, and so, we work so hard to attain that every single day. However, when we are in love with ourselves, we start to enjoy every single day, because happiness is in the now. There is no need to wait for happiness; happiness is present in this moment. In everything we do, it flows into us and out of us in all the relationships we hold, because love is a way of being. When we love what we do and do what we love, we are alive and soaring in all that we do. Do not underestimate the power of love for yourself, as it will not only elevate your relationship with yourself, but enhance and deepen your relationship with work, family, life, and everything around you.
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