Whats Love Got to Do with It?

Tina Turner made this phrase popular in one of her hits in the 80s. My answer to that question is that love has everything to do with it! 

Love is referenced in all great scripture of the world. The Upanishads, Quran, Bhagava Gita and the bible are filled with prolific references about love. Love is all around us, love is in us. Love makes the world go around.

Jesus counseled that we should love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. He then added a second directive, to love your neighbor as you love yourself. That implies that we love ourselves first, right? I feel that, for women especially, this has become backwards. We are socialized to take care of everyone else first - our partners, our children, our parents, our clients, our community.  Self has become buried in the background, in the name of love.  Nothing is further from the truth! It’s time to get it right -  to do it right.  Just like on the airplane, you must take care of yourself first by putting your oxygen on so you can then take care of others. You can’t serve others if you have passed out from lack of oxygen or energy.

The busyness of life can make it easy to forget to love yourself.  It’s easy to get lost in the world of taking care of others. It takes a toll.  Self-reflection can help you see what doesn’t serve you and inspire you to make a change. It takes practice and patience, and perseverance. Denying self-love is not sustainable. It leads to burnout, depression, isolation and overwhelm. If you are not loving yourself, you are not living, you are just existing.

Loving yourself enriches your life and signals the Universe to follow suit and put you first.

 Where to start? Release all those perceived flaws and frailties; forgive yourself for them, really. LET IT GO!!!  This creates space for grace, joy, laughter and prosperity. You are here to experience what it's like to be human. Congratulate yourself on the lessons learned.  Understand that failure isn’t the opposite of success, it’s part of it!  Whatever you are doing, love yourself first. It will change your world and then the world around you.

​Love yourself and love these cookies!
Mom's Oatmeal Cookies with Chia Seeds