Note: This is the second of a two-part series. Click here for part one
When you love and value yourself, you start taking care of your health; your body; your psyche; your relationships with others; and your sense of vitality, optimism, and overall well-being.
Here are some of the things you can do to better love, respect and value yourself:
- Reach out to new people. Continuously expand your circle of friends and acquaintances.
- Go after creating your highest goals and visions. Quit wishing they will just happen on their own.
- Take more risks.
- Become more a participant in life, and less an observer.
- Figure out how to play more and have more fun, and do so on a regular, ongoing basis.
- Quit wasting time on things that do not serve your best interests.
- Regularly rise to the occasion and do what needs to be done.
- Let hope run your life, not your fear.
- Put out more positive energy—and act more optimistic and hopeful.
- Take over all better care of yourself. Nurture yourself in positive, life affirming and healthy ways.
- Be in touch with your heart and spirit on a daily basis.
- Quit doing things that hurt you and/or other people.
- Face and deal with your guilt, shame, fear, self-blame, low trust, anger, depression and other negative emotions—until you defeat them or get them under your control. Don’t take these emotions out on other people. You’ll feel worse about yourself if you do.
- Act with integrity and honor in your dealings with others.
- Don’t watch too much TV, drink, eat or work too much, or excessively indulge your negative habits or destructive addictions.
- Live consciously. Ask yourself: Am I using my life in a valuable way? Am I enhancing myself and my life by how I am spending my time and energy? Am I using my talents and abilities? How could I better use them? What do I need to do differently in order for the next twenty years to be better than the previous twenty years?
- Are there any dreams that you want to attain that you’re not going after, or that you’re going after passively? Not going after and trying to create what you want for your life is how we wind up full of regrets.
- Keep your relationships with other people healthy—and treat the people close to you as if you truly value them.
- Train yourself to be appreciative of your life every day. What in your life are you most grateful or appreciative of?
- What could you do to improve your health, body and level of fitness?
- What or whom do you still have to forgive?
- What experiences, accomplishments or achievements are you proud of? Which have added meaning and value to your life?
- What adventures do you want in your future? What are you doing to make those adventures attainable?
- Tend to your sexual health and well-being.
- While you’re alive, make sure you’re living.
