Self Love Series: Ms. Laura
For Day 4 of the self-love series we have Ms. Laura, who to me is the embodiment of love. Words can not express what Ms. Laura means to me. I'm convinced shes a fairy or an angel that was sent specifically to my family and I. Also the featured image was created by Ms. Laura herself. Shes the best! For this self-love post I have decided to break it into two parts.
Self-Love Series Day 4, Part I:
I consider the concept of self-love to mean a positive self-image. I once read an article by John Piper recognizing self-love as being a major foundation of all human life; for without it there is no motivation, and without motivation there is no action, and if we do not act we die. Further, there is a connection between concepts of self-love and self-esteem, both dealing with the positive image a person has of themselves when succeeding rather than failing in the realization of their values. In other words, self-love means to delight in the attainment of what you value. When you attain living your values, you have higher self-esteem. I like this meaning; it gives permission to delight in your bliss. What more motivation could there be in life than to follow your bliss? (That is a little Joseph Campbell joke). Actually, sharing thoughts on the practice of self-love with you all and SavvySunflower comes at a good time. I am currently working through something on a daily basis and confess of the challenge to practice self-love during a less than blissful two hour commute, where I sit in car, barely after dawn under winter skies, traffic mired to standstill on an interstate in a city populated by 6 million. Destination to train station is five miles away. This part of the commute will take an hour and a half to arrive at the station. It occurred to me recently in mid-commute that these thoughts are creating a reoccurring problem, which is causing feelings of negativity which is draining my energy level and affecting my perception in a destructive way. My thoughts are making the day harsher and my heart harder: I am making a problem of the situation. This situation is my daily routine: It is really just a two hour commute by car and train on the interstate leading into Atlanta; that is how it is to live in my neighborhood and work downtown. …Once the simplicity of my situation had soaked in, I began recognizing the tendency towards negative thoughts. I began ‘watching’ myself, while thinking about the drama caused by so many negative feelings. This ‘watching’ has been eye-opening and relevant to my practice of self-love.
As always SHARE. LIKE. COMMENT BELOW. Stay tuned for Part II tomorrow!
If you missed yesterday's post check it out!