Love Ya Damn Self This Valentine's Day

Super late but still true nonetheless. Love is in the air!!! Valentines Day is the one day where you go above and beyond for the one you love. You shower them with gifts, you drain your bank account, you pour out your heart, you even step outside of character to show them you truly care. You might even go all out and finally claim that person in public; posting your photos together on Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, just to say I love you and I want the world to know it. It's all about love and being in love. But my question is..."What are you doing for you this Valentine?" I'm not saying that you shouldn't do something nice for someone. I'm not saying that you shouldn't take time to let your favorite person know that you care about them. All I'm saying is, "LOVE YA DAMN SELF THIS VALENTINE'S DAY!!!"

On my journey to self-care, I've come to the realization that I can't continue to pour from an empty cup. You can't give what you don't have. Same thing when it comes to love. You can't love someone else until you have learned to love yourself. Self-love coincides with self-care. You have to show yourself that YOU love YOU and be ok if no one else does. I mean we all want someone who loves us unconditionally. Someone who puts up with all our crap and can still tolerate us in the morning. Someone who can understand the highs and lows of love and still stand in the midst of it all. But how can you expect someone to do that, when you can't even tolerate you. Self-love is understanding you're not perfect and being okay with it Self-love is being able to go to the show, or breakfast, or the lounge for a drink alone and not feel sorry for yourself. Self-love is sitting and watching your favorite show without feeling the need to HAVE someone with you. Hell, if you can't tolerate you when you're alone, how the hell do you expect someone else to???

In all seriousness, self-love is one of the greatest loves you can ever have. It's more than self-care. Self-love is self-actualization, and self-actualization is the realization or fulfillment of your own talents and potentialities. So this Valentine's Day I challenge you to love you and all of your flaws. It's not too late to treat yourself to something nice. Buy your favorite flowers, your favorite drink or cigar, the handbag you've been eyeing and you want someone to surprise you. SURPRISE YA DAMN SELF!!! Make this Valentine's Day the start of something new. Self-love. Self-care. Self-actualization. Self-worth. Stop selling yourself short and love ya damn self. After all, you're all you got. Love you.