Act One: Give YOURSELF Some Love

One of my earliest discoveries about creating a fun and fulfilling ethical life was an uncomfortable one: loving life meant loving me. I could get by without a stainless steel straw, a mason jar and a blender, but I couldn’t get by without self-love. This kind of sucked because I wanted to buy a new blender! But also, like many of us, self-love was something I struggled with. Maybe I could manage it when life was going 'well' but loving Suze through my disappointments and mistakes? That was something else.

So I played make-believe. I did the things I knew I’d do if I did love myself. And holy moly did that do something!

In repeatedly pretending I loved myself – eating well, getting more sleep, spending time in nature and all that good stuff – I slowly started to feel it.

I learned the positive experiences and emotions we're waiting for aren’t always the root of self-love – often they’re the fruit.

When I’m feeling helpless or hopeless, this is where I start, with one teeny tiny self-loving act: a walk around the block, a paragraph in my journal, a few minutes in the garden. I layer positive motions to encourage positive emotions. Wanna see if it works for you? ⬇️

Self-reflection

Explore how you can take better care of yourself. What do you need? Help getting out of debt? More exercise? Time to journal? A gratitude practice? Take one teeny tiny step towards it today.