My journey to loving myself

A while a go I decided to start making a conscious effort to love and know myself better. I was on a mission to be the source of my own happiness and become my own best friend. I wanted to accept myself fully and unconditionally. A bit after that I realized that I do need other people in order to be happiest, I can't do it all on my own. I found that I needed love from other people in my life in order to really be able to start loving myself. It was good for me to realize this, I still wanted to accept and love myself more, I just found that I needed other people. Instead of embarking on a one woman solo journey I knew that I needed to bring people along on the journey with me.

I'm still very much on the journey to loving and accepting myself and I think it'll be a lifelong journey. But I know that the journey is, and will always be, the most important part of any change within and around myself. I've also come to realize that the decision I made to go on this journey was a huge step in the right direction. Before I made the conscious decision I was unconsciously on the journey. I believe that everyone is at some point on the path to acceptance and love of themselves, whether they know it or not, it's human nature.

I think that consciously saying "I want to improve my opinion of myself" shows that you have got to a place where they are aware of what you want your happiness to be. What I thought was the first step on the journey of loving myself may have been the most important step but I don't think it was the first. I think before then I was trying to change myself in order for acceptance but now I'm trying to accept myself without changing anything other than my mindset.

“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.”

—	Anna Quindlen