Where Love Flows
~Pamela Henry
Within each
Expression of self-love
Pure potentiality
Transcends thought
Projecting an instance
Of fulfilled desire
Into each perceived
Reality
My heart swells
Riding waves
Of self-acceptance
In rhythm with
This ocean of gratitude
Coursing through my veins
Illuminating
Moments of clarity
Popping in brilliant colours
Unfolding in radiance
Where love flows
Life and purpose
Merge as one
Creation in all its glory
Explodes
Stand strong
Love yourself
Love others
Steady on we go
Nurturing hope
Within the
Expansive nature of
Each breath
Giving life to inner peace
Each reflection of truth
Ever present
Ever patient
Everlasting.
~
“She thinks she’s all that and a bag of chips”. Hearing this expression made me laugh, as I listened to a friend recount her experience with a self-confident acquaintance of hers. I hadn’t heard this phrase in a long time but it seems that it’s claimed its place in pop culture, since it was popularized in the early 90’s.
As I reflected on this expression, I became aware of the negative connotation it has. It’s ultimately used to refer to someone who is self-absorbed and has an inflated idea of their own importance. This may or may not have been the case in my opening story, however it does raise an interesting question.
What is loving yourself and how is it different from egocentricity? I would suggest that the term has been widely misinterpreted.
We’ve been conditioned to believe that self-love is egotistical. With this programming, it’s no wonder we find it difficult to love ourselves.
What will others think if you step into the infinite being of love and light that you truly are?
From my perspective, loving yourself is a state of gratitude that grows from doing inner work that heals your body, mind and spirit. As you learn to treat yourself with more compassion and forgiveness, you naturally begin to unleash your full potential.
When you stand strong in self-love, you become unshakeable. Behaviors that once irritated you, no longer push your buttons.
Unconditional love for yourself transforms your heart and creates a ripple effect in the world around you. By choosing to live in this higher vibration, you begin to heal past hurts and shift the limited beliefs that separate you from creating your ideal life. Your light shines brighter and you begin to experience change in all areas of your life.
How do you learn to love yourself? You recognize the lies you’ve been telling yourself and replace them with your truth.
Everything that’s going on inside of you is reflected in your physical world. When you shift what’s going on inside of you, your life mirrors that change.
A Quick Mirror Exercise
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you have the feeling that you don’t quite measure up?
Does your relationship with your mirror consist of a quick glance as you brush your teeth and fix your hair, or are you comfortable looking into your own eyes and acknowledging the beautiful soul you are?
Gazing into your own eyes is a powerful way to connect with yourself. By focusing on positive aspects, you begin to replace the negative self talk that may be dominating your thoughts.
1. Each morning when you get up or every night before going to bed, take 3-5 minutes and stand in front of a mirror. Gaze into your eyes and connect with the reflection gazing back at you. Smile.
2. Take 3 deep, cleansing breaths in and slowly let them out.
3. Express appreciation for yourself: Maintain eye contact as you express appreciation for who you are. What do you love about yourself? Say your name out loud and say something like “I love your kind and caring nature. I love the shape of your eyes…”
4. Express appreciation for your accomplishments: As you continue to look deeply into your eyes, express appreciation for your accomplishments that day, the big ones and the small ones. Once again, say your name out loud and then say something like “Thank you for….” or “I want to appreciate you for…” Get into the details of your day and really appreciate yourself for creating your experience.
5. If you find yourself focusing on negative thoughts, slowly repeat the following statement to yourself, out loud. “I accept myself, in this moment, just the way I am.”
Check out my article What Is Love? to learn a variation of the mirror exercise.
Would you be willing to invest 5 minutes a day to appreciate you? I would love to hear about your experience in the comments below or head over to my Facebook page.
With love and gratitude,
Pamela
I literally thought “all that and a bag of chips” yesterday afternoon for the first time in ages!! In a positive way, thinking about my ideal clients and how much more they are than what they believe about themselves.
Anyway, I have mirror issues, as evidenced from my self-titled, yet-to-be published memoir, Mirror Mirror (it’s looking for a traditional publisher and will be self-pubbed soon if it doesn’t find one).
Mirror work is powerful with roots back to fairy tales.
Great post. Thanks!
That’s too funny Donna! Love that this expression came up in your world too!
Yes, mirror work is so powerful. I look forward to reading your book, fantastic title!
One of the first things I do each morning is look in the mirror and say “HELLO GORGEOUS! Let’s make it the best day EVER!” Such a fun way to begin the day! XOX
Love it Shann! What an awesome way to begin each day! <3
Wonderful information, Pamela. It is important to love ourselves and things about ourselves. I enjoy giving myself a pat on the back or a “Good job!” regularly 🙂
Thank you Theresa. So important to acknowledge ourselves for a job well done! So simple yet makes such a big difference! 🙂
I love staring the day with the mirror work I love you Suzie, I really love you- and I love Shann’s going to use that tomorrow. I am developing some new ones to really value my self-worth Thanks for a wonderful post
Thank you for your comment Suzie. I love Shann’s too:) I also love your idea of creating new phrases to really value your self-worth. <3
What a gorgeous post, Pamela. I love how you mix poetry with encouragement. Your heart is open and it’s very clear that you truly care about the people you write for. I appreciate you.
Thank you for your beautiful comment Vironika<3 I appreciate you too!
such a beautiful post!
Thank you Kim! So happy you stopped by:)