My recent week at a “Life Mastery” retreat facilitated by Alan Cohen in Maui has left me with many insights, awarenesses, questions and much spiritual food. The most profound learning for me was to “Love myself ~ first.” This is a huge challenge for a “pleaser”. Almost like speaking a foreign language. What does “love myself first” look like, sound like, feel like? For some reason I connected loving myself with what “comforts” me so the specifics are listed as comforts in various categories of my life.
**Creature (physical) comforts: good coffee in the morning, healthy and delicious food, a nurturing, warm and beautiful home, financial abundance and prosperity, extraordinary physical health and vitality
**Emotional comforts: caring and connected family, loving and supportive relationships, satisfying work, community connection, self-respect and authenticity, speaking up, asking for what I want
**Spiritual comforts: inner peace, connection to Spirit, trusting myself and Spirit, REmembering who I AM, enjoying nature, being at the ocean, connecting with my Tribe, continued deepening and learning…
The common thread is connection. Each comfort represents for me deeper connection with myself, my body, my community and loved ones or Spirit. The “things” are supportive of my physical, emotional or spiritual health. Creating/providing them for myself is how I express loving myself first. Sort of a 360 degree pampering. Each of the items “feeds” me in its own way and expands or nurtures me.
What does loving yourself first look like to you? How would you describe it?
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