Loving yourself is the beginning. Regardless of your goal, be it harmonious relationships with your partner and your family, or financially orientated targets, do not underestimate the power of self-love. It – or the lack of it – is at the core of everything. And just like an apple, the more juice on the inside, the tastier life tastes.

But, as so much else in the personal development field, self-love is easier said than done. Loving yourself is so much more than indulging in some long denied desire, or lying in a bubble bath surrounded by scented candles while relaxing music soothes your jagged edges.

It’s Up To You

Loving yourself begins first and foremost with the recognition that if you are not in a place of well-being inside yourself, it’s up to you to do something about it. This should become your priority.

Imagine you are the parent of a small child. Your child is upset, or sad, or angry or frightened, You, as loving parent of the child, would attempt to help the child move to a better place inside. You might embrace the child, talk about what is going on, or do any number of things to help the child see the situation with new eyes in order to feel better about it.

But in order for this to happen you would need to be closely connected to your child, you would need to have strong communication with your child, and you would need to be totally aware of your child’s feelings. Furthermore, you’d need to want to be there for your child.

Be Your Own Parent

By now you’ve probably figured out that I’m giving you an analogy about how you need to be dealing with yourself. In order to show yourself that you love yourself (because that’s how it starts), you must be aware of yourself and your feelings at all times and be conscious or aware enough to choose to do something about them at all times.

Does that mean that you would never allow yourself to feel pain or sorrow or worry or have any other type of negative feeling? Does it mean you would keep yourself in some iron grip of control so that you would not have those feelings? Absolutely not! But it does mean that you would be willing to choose to focus elsewhere in order to help yourself move to a better place inside.

Choose To Focus On Something More Positive

Worrying about your business, your income or your relationship takes you nowhere. It is much more proactive to resolve whatever is going on in your life. You can attempt to resolve it by allowing it a certain amount of time per day – but only that amount of time – in your life, brainstorming, consulting, researching about the situation, and you would then choose to focus on something else in order to help yourself move to a better place inside. This is what you do for those that you love.

What Next?

If you start today, right now, this evening you will already feel better about how you are dealing with yourself. You’ll recognize that you’ve taken some steps to love yourself. And a part of you will feel just as loved as the child who has been enveloped in the loving arms of a caring and emotionally generous adult parent. This will bring you ever closer to inner peace and freedom, and this will bring you joy and who knows what else…

In a few days, Greg and I are flying out to Antibes in the South of France.  It’s not technically a holiday because we’ll still be working out there but it still gives us a chance to dine out on all that yummy French food.  Isn’t French food just the best?  I just love the way the French practically build their whole day around their meals.  I like that they place this at the centre of their existence.  It says something about how healthy they are – rather than placing their lives around their workload.

Holidays aren’t just an annual event are they?  In our business we permanently aim for the relaxed edge that holidays give us.  What you get out of holidays – the time to unwind and relax and get the work/life balance into perspective – we try to strive for everyday.  How can you bring the holiday into your work-life?  It’s actually more productive than you think….

Think about it this week as you soak in the sun in your lunch-break.

This one is more a reminder post- or a thought for the day if you will.

Someone told me recently that Mercury was in retrograde.  Not being too astrological myself I didn’t know what that meant, or whether it meant anything really… so I googled it.

Then discovered that perhaps the apparent chaos that seems to be everywhere around recently may have an astrological reason!  Or maybe not.

Perhaps it is just so that we can learn that no matter what goes on around us, no matter how concerning, stressful, unexplainable, or devastating- that if you can connect with the quiet place inside that remembers why you’re doing it all, that you can survive.

So- if naughty Mercury is wreaking havoc; or you’re just having a tough day- remember that there’s a part of you that is watching it all happen and is unaffected.

Try it on.

Love Jo

Greg’s brother sent these to me today. They certainly made me giggle, so I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Cheers!

Joey

And if this is true, can undertsanding the difference between men and women help us all to lead a much more peaceful and fulfilling life?

Having spent the weekend in Pina’s workshop last weekend, I’m convinced EVERYONE needs this information!! The information is breakthrough type stuff from PAX, an organisation started by Alison Armstrong 16 years ago. You can find out more on www.understandmen.com.

But before you do…make yourself a cup of tea, and spend 15 minutes having a listen (click here) to this great interview where she reveals a couple of secrets to understanding men!

Pina De Rosa reveals the secrets of what makes men get out of bed in the morning!

Here’s to a great day!

Love Joey x