“I could give you a million reasons why you don’t need to cater to anyone or anything to succeed. Be you, and be relentlessly you. That’s the stuff of champions.”

— Lady Gaga

Happy Valentine’s Day, loves!

Whether you’re dating, single, married, etc., we want to talk about the importance of self-love. After all, self-love is the first step to any successful relationship and genuine happiness in life.

So, on this lovely 14th of February, grab your favorite treat, find a cozy spot, and curl up with us as we give you a little seasoned advice on how to put yourself first today and every day.

Here’s 14 things you can do to begin the self-love process today:

Be Honest With Yourself. If you are happy, acknowledge your joy. If you are sad, acknowledge your sorrow. Coming to terms with your feelings allows for healing and self growth to take place.
Make Positive Affirmations. Reframe your mind to be grateful using positive affirmations. Focus on your amazing talents and the things that make you special person you are.
Take Care of Yourself. Taking care of yourself means ensuring you are healthy mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Your body and mind should be treated as temples. Make sure you are receiving proper nutrition, exercising, and that you’re mentally-sound. Everyone struggles at times, and it’s perfectly okay to seek guidance. This makes you strong - not weak.
Appreciate Beauty. Appreciate the beauty around you! Literally stop and smell the roses. Sometimes the simple things can make the biggest difference.
Spoil Yourself. Always make time to spoil yourself every now and then. Simply do what makes you happy. Maybe it’s binge-watching a Netflix series or making a day trip to the spa. Get out in the world. Do something you’ve always wanted to do. Remove yourself from the everyday ‘go to work, come home, stuck-in-a-rut’ grind.
Be Confident. Knowing that you have particular gifts can boost your self esteem, so spend time working on those! Like Gaga says, "Be you, and be relentlessly you.” Look for opportunities that can help improve your confidence - not break you down.
Nurture Your Dreams. Why deny yourself your dreams? When you nurture your dreams, you enjoy life more. Live life thinking of the future and all the things you’d love to accomplish one day. This fills your life with more purpose and gives you hope. When you nurture your dreams, every moment is filled with joy because you are expressing yourself fully.
Express Gratitude. Be thankful for you and the person you are. Feel a sense of gratitude that you are alive, healthy, and on the path for success.
Let Go Of Worry. Be patient and stop worrying! Many times situations are beyond your control, so surrender the outcome if you know something is out of your hands. Worry and fear will get you nowhere, so relax and let nature take its course.
Trust Yourself. Have confidence in your abilities and know you are capable of accomplishing anything you put your mind to.
Grow Spiritually. Whatever makes you more spiritual, do it. Whether it’s prayer, meditation, journaling, etc., when you spend time growing spiritually, loving yourself becomes automatic. You become more peaceful, connected, kind, and compassionate.
Forgive Yourself. Sometimes it’s hard to proceed in life when you feel guilty. Guilt can hold you back and cause pain. If you’ve made mistakes in the past that have caused you to feel less worthy (we’ve all been there), then you need to forgive yourself. Stop beating yourself up, let go of the baggage and hurt, and learn from your mistakes. Learning to forgive also means forgiving yourself, if need be.
Be Kind With Yourself. When you start to think kindly and positively about yourself, you go from being your biggest critic to your biggest supporter. Make it a habit to praise yourself everyday and be kind. Understand that perfection is unattainable, so don’t sweat the small stuff!
Love Yourself. No one is perfect and the stress of trying to achieve and maintain perfection is not only rough, but it can eat you up. Take the time to focus on all the wonderful, amazing, positive traits that make you special and unique! Take action and create a beautiful life for yourself.

So, as the words best spoken by Parks and Recreation’s Tom Haverford, “Treat yo’self” today. And every day!