Categories: Life

Self-love is the basis for self-improvement

There’s a quandary I hear people talk about a lot in the self-improvement world which goes something like this: “Should I keep trying to change, or should I just learn to love myself?”

The people posing this question almost invariably feel terrible about themselves, and further, they assume that’s par for the course. It isn’t. In fact this whole “self-love vs self-improvement” thing is a false dilemma, one that badly misunderstands the role of self-love.

This equates loving yourself with thinking you’re just fine the way you are. It treats self-love as a reward for being the person you want to be. It assumes that your self-regard should be based, in some sense, on you being objectively “good.” And conversely, it equates wanting to change with disliking yourself. But ask yourself- is this true of your love for other people?

If you love someone else, surely that means you want the best for them? You want them to be healthy, happy and successful. If you have children, you want them to do well in school. If a friend is unhappy with their life, you want their life to change so they’ll be happy.

Apply the same standards to yourself that you do to others- love yourself the way you love your friends and family. Decide to be better because you deserve better; because you love yourself and want to enable yourself to live your ideal life.

Original Article

Misty Buck

Share
Published by
Misty Buck

Recent Posts

5 Ways to Stop Comparing Yourself as an Athlete

Photo by Tony Schnagl Comparison is a natural part of the athletic journey. Every athlete…

3 weeks ago

15 Emotion Management Tips

Photo by Marcel Strauß on Unsplash Emotions. We all have them. Sometimes they are simple…

1 month ago

Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire Taking a Break to Address PTSD

Image by 3D Animation Production Company from Pixabay Just before the start of the 2024…

3 months ago

10 Benefits of Meditation for Fighters and Meditation Scripts

Photo by Rodolfo Clix In combat sports like MMA and boxing, it might be surprising…

3 months ago

Meditation to Reduce Stress in Athlete Transition Into Life After Sports

Transition is something that everyone deals with. Whether it’s personal or professional, major changes can…

3 months ago

Why Men Have a Hard Time Opening Up and Being Vulnerable

Mental health conversations are becoming increasingly normal and many people are opening up about issues…

4 months ago