You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.
Love yourself not in some egocentric, self-serving sense but love yourself the way you would love your friend in the sense of taking care of yourself, nourishing yourself, trying to understand, comfort, and strengthen yourself.
Pride is both a virtue and a vice.
What do I mean by loving ourselves properly? I mean first of all, desiring to live, accepting life as a very great gift and a great good, not because of what it gives us, but because of what it enables us to give to others.
There's a world of difference between a strong ego, which is essential, and a large ego-which can be destructive.
I couldn't care less what anyone thinks about me. When I look in the mirror and see what's looking back at me, I'm incredibly happy. Nobody's opinion is going to change that.
The attitude of unconditional self-acceptance is probably the most important variable in their long-term recovery.
A sense of worthiness is a child's most important need.
If you're self-compassionate, you'll tend to have higher self-esteem than if you're endlessly self-critical. And like high self-esteem - self-compassion is associated with significantly less anxiety and depression, as well as more happiness, optimism, and positive emotions.
I don't know why it is, exactly, but the people with the healthiest self-esteem, are also the greatest at intimacy. I'm not talking about arrogant people. I'm talking about people who know they are both good and bad yet believe at the deepest level they are really good for people.
