On Valentine’s Day, lots of women commemorated it with their special one. Some extended the show of love to family members, others to colleagues and so on.Did we all take a moment engage in self-love?

When I logged into my Instagram feed, I saw a picture of a man who gifted his wife, two female adult children and four grandchildren with bouquet of flowers each. How sweet!

Women are nurturers, as such, we put every other person first and think of ourselves last. For example, an acquaintance and her family members came down with eye infections. It was an epidemic at the time and, she was the worst hit. Every other family member’s infection got healed quickly after the application of an eye ointment except hers. After some tests, it was discovered that her immunity was low compared to others—she had spent so much time looking after others that she neglected her own well-being.

There is an African proverb that instructs a father to take care of himself first before his child, so he can have the stamina to carry him when he falls. Extending this wisdom to women: take care of yourself first so you can be better able take care of others.

SOME WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF LOVE

Some folks enjoy spending time with themselves while others may see it as boring. A regular ‘me’ time helps you to refresh and rejuvenate your inner strength. A C-level executive mentioned one time how she ensures her kids go to bed by 6.pm everyday so she can have some time to refuel for the next day. Another professional mentioned spending some time alone in her car after work before heading home. Whatever works for you, keep at it regularly.

Believe in You:

Stop giving room to the negative voices vying for your attention. Do not allow the voice of the others to be louder than your own voice. Other people’s opinion of you should not be at the driver seat of your life. When you believe in yourself, others will have no choice than to believe in you. The reverse will be the case if you don’t believe in yourself.

Accept Who You Are:

There is no other person in the world like you! You know that by now, but, do you often celebrate your uniqueness; keeping in mind that everyone is on their own path? If you do, you will not compare yourself to others.
If someone succeeds, their success could inspire you as ‘one woman’s success is an inspiration for another’ however, don’t use it as a yardstick to be so hard on yourself.

Accept your imperfections. They are what makes you unique.

Be Kind To You:

Think of a friend whom you love dearly, how do you react to them in their moments of weaknesses and failures? You offer them words of encouragement to inspire them to believe in themselves once again right? Do you extend the same gesture to yourself when you fall? Check your inner voice from time to time, stop it from saying harsh and negative words to you. Take yourself out, buy yourself some nice things. Give yourself a treat.

Achieve Goals:

often, the feeling of fulfilment will stem from achieving set goals. When you regularly achieve the goals you set for yourself, you will always be successful. This, in turn, impacts how you feel about yourself.

Protect Your Space:

You can’t please everyone and displease yourself. You can’t be a doormat for people. Recently, a school proprietress talking about protecting your space narrated how she returned the school fees of a parent that didn’t want to respect her rules.’ No one dictates to me how I want things done in my corner’ she said. The inner voice reminded her that ‘it’s OK to protect your space’.

HOW SELF-LOVE IMPACTS YOUR CAREER

It Boosts Your Self-Esteem:

You need a healthy dose of self-esteem to take on the world. The extent to which you go far in your career is dependent on your level of self-esteem. A survey revealed that President Barack Obama was highly successful in his run for president in the 2008 US election due to a positive self-esteem. Engaging in activities to promote self-love increases your sense of self-worth. This will give you the grit to conquer any career goals that you need to advance. “People with a strong sense of self-worth tell themselves that they can handle anything including hurdles that arise in pursuit of their core goals” says Forbes Contributor Ken Sundheim

You Gain More Confidence:

A positive self- esteem heightens your confidence. You need this important trait to realize your potential at work. With a healthy self-esteem, you will be able to put yourself forward for daring assignments and positions or assignments that will stretch you or show the value you bring to your organization. You also need it to be able to communicate effectively. Good communicators are able to influence people. Communication skills is a necessity for every professional.

You Become a Better Leader:

Leaders who have learned to love themselves never see anyone who succeeds as a threat to their own success. As team leaders, they are able to encourage team members who fall short because they have first being able to offer themselves words of encouragement. They give their team members the wings to fly to become the best they can be. When such people lead organizations, everyone is usually motivated to put in their best.

Self-love is able to make you successful in both your personal and professional life. Practice deliberately and regularly activities that will promote self-love.

READ ALSO:LOVE AND CAREER: HAVING IT ALL