Transcription
Hello and welcome to my podcast, Love Yourself. Well, I'm Ocea Ebel, your host, and I'm excited to be here again with you today to share a little on how self-love is your strategy to live a life you love. If you've ever found yourself questioning what's next for me, who am I now? Or how can I create a life that truly feels like mine? Then you're in the right place. Because today we are going to dive into a powerful truth that may be the beginning of answering those questions for you. Self-love is not just a feel good woowoo concept, it is a part of your personal success strategy. It is the foundation for building confidence, navigating transitions, and stepping into any phase of your life with clarity and power. Let's start then, with what self-love actually is and what it's not. Self-love is not just about bubble baths and spa days, though I fully support both. It's about taking the time to accept yourself for who you are, warts and all. Accepting responsibility for the decision you make and being accountable for where you are in your life, whether you like where you are or not. Self-love is about exploring your values and committing to you. Committing to yourself. It's about honoring your needs without guilt. And when you love yourself, you're more likely to release the pressure of shoulds and not feel constantly bound to external expectations. Instead, you choose what aligns with your values and truth. When you live each day in the self-love mode, you don't rely on temporary or fleeting feelings. You trust in yourself, and this self-trust becomes your guide. And here's the thing. Self-love is not selfish. It's essential. The more you explore and pour into yourself, the more you have to give to the people you care about, and the more you will realize the dreams that truly matter to you. I know so many of you have spent much time taking care of everyone else, whether it be kids, partners, siblings, aging parents, even taking care of your career over yourself. And when you have finally stopped to look at your own needs, you feel guilty, undeserving, or even lost. But here's another truth. You are allowed to be a priority in your own life. Yes, you actually are. Say it with me. I am allowed to be a priority in my own life. Powerful isn't it? Let me get to why self-love is the ultimate success strategy. Here's. Here's three things. One, it offers you resilience through life transitions. Whether you're navigating parenting as a teenager, an empty nester, a career shift, menopause, a divorce, or a breakup. Self-love helps you move through change with grace instead of fear. Two it fuels your confidence when you truly love and believe in yourself. You stop seeking validation from others. You walk into rooms with your head held high, knowing you are worthy of being there and you belong. Three it helps you set boundaries and say yes to the things that are right for you. Without self-love, we say yes out of obligation, guilt or fear. But when you honor yourself, you choose opportunities, relationships, and goals that align with your actual desires. I hear many stories of women who feel stuck, whether it be stuck in a relationship or a career, and they're stuck because of the shoulds. I understand because I have been there. I stayed in an extremely dysfunctional relationship for years because I thought I should. I accepted unfulfilling and inauthentic relationships with family and friends because I thought I should. And upon reflection, that is all I believed I deserved. I chose to be treated as second best and allowed that. It wasn't until I moved away that I saw the madness in it. I remember a client once said to me that she felt stuck in a career that drained her. She thought she should stay because it was too late to change. But through self-love practices such as reconnecting with her passions and setting clear boundaries, she made a leap. She finally made a leap. And now she's running a business that lights her up. That's the power of loving yourself enough to choose you. Okay, I hear you asking, but Ocea, how do I fall in love with myself? How do I cultivate self-love? It is a process of conscious daily steps. It's a reconditioning of who you are and who you identify yourself to be. But it's not complicated. It is rather simple, but takes consistent work. And this is where most people let themselves down. You have to take the first step. You have to feel uncomfortable and you may not even be ready. You have to do it anyway if you want to be fulfilled and experience sustainable change in your life. Here are some gentle ways that you can get started. Start your day with an empowering affirmation. The way you talk to yourself matters. This is how you perceive yourself, how you relate to yourself, how you identify yourself. So you start saying things like, I am worthy of success and happiness. I trust myself to make the best decisions for me. I can create change in my life and still be enough just as I am. Modify each statement and make it real for you. They may feel cringe or uncomfortable at first, but trust me. Keep saying them. Change does happen, and when you feel brave, pop yourself in front of a mirror. Look yourself in the eyes and state. I love you and I am worthy of success and happiness. I love you and I am deserving to reach my goals. I love you and I trust myself to take conscious action to live out my intentions. You might even say I love you and I accept who I am, and I love myself enough to commit to becoming who I need to be, to live life how I want to. Mirror work can be challenging. It took me a while to look at myself and not have a negative thought. Many things came up for me and I needed to process and grieve the old stories and then let go. You may do the same. Seek out extra support if you need it. A very practical step to two begin on your love yourself world journey, as I like to call it, is set one boundary. Maybe it's saying no to a request that drains you. Maybe it's protecting your morning routine. Boundaries are an act of self-love. They teach others how to respect you and remind you to respect yourself. Remember, no thank you is a complete sentence. If you choose to set a boundary that includes someone else, there may be pushback. Have a plan on how you will address the resistance before it arises, and do something that brings you joy. Just because. When was the last time you did something simply because it made you happy? Dance in your kitchen. Paint. Take yourself out for a coffee. Whatever lights you up. Joy is not a luxury, it's a necessity. Cultivating self-love is a daily practice. Not many of us have been raised to feel worthy just because our worthiness was and still is for some of you, attached to what we have or what we do, However consistent little steps, the more you honor yourself, the more success, joy, and peace you create in your life. So I encourage you to choose one self-love practice from today's episode and commit to it. Whether it's a morning affirmation, a boundary, or a joyful moment, take that step because you are worthy of a life that feels good to you. And please share it with me. Send me an email or tag me on a social post. I'd love to hear the step that you take. So thank you for joining me and sharing your time. I'm filled with gratitude for your presence here today. If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review or share it with a friend. Stay tuned for the upcoming episodes where we'll explore practical techniques here. Inspiring stories and expert insights to help you nurture self-love. Until next time, take care. Be kind to yourself and remember to always, always love yourself well.
