Loving Ourselves How We Want to Be Loved
Whether we believe it or not, we're entirely capable of offering ourselves the love and fulfillment we want... or even crave from someone else. We're entirely capable of loving ourselves in all the ways we've hoped another person would love us. This realization is an extraordinarily powerful and empowering one.
Because...
When we know how to fill our own cup so fully and completely—when we know how to give ourselves the love we want—we stop needing someone else to do it for us.
It's from this place of deep and profound self-love that if and when love shows up externally, we're able to embrace it with open, unclenched and uncontrolling arms. Because when we love ourselves this fully we're able to appreciate the love of another in a way that perpetually frees that person to exist as they are. Our love for another then is no longer capable of being selfishly shaped into something that meets our needs at the cost of the other's freedom, because our needs have already been met by us.
It's also from this place that we're able to choose—freely and with intention—the partnerships that deeply and profoundly nourish our souls (as opposed to clinging to relationships out of fear because we're not sure who we'll be without them).
I believe that loving ourselves unconditionally—or simply having the genuine and committed intention to do so and acting upon it regularly (this is a journey)—serves as the foundation for unconditionally loving romantic partnerships.
Resources
My Love List (includes questions + guidance for making your own)
Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only and does not substitute individual psychological advice.