Self-acceptance wrapped up in LOVE

The Drag Queen sensation, RuPaul, is famous for her Drag Race catch phrase: "If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else? Can I get an amen?”

Preach, sister. 

So what is love? 

Most dictionaries tell us that “Love” is an intense, deep affection felt for another person. 

Countless weddings have used the popular Christian bible quote from 1 Corinthians describing love as: patient and kind. 

So, what happens when we direct these time-honoured philosophies, no matter our religious backgrounds, to ourselves?

Shine brightly!

Abraham Maslow explains in his hierarchy of needs that people need appreciation from others, as well as themselves, in order to live happy lives by achieving self-actualization. 

So, while many of us put ourselves down to seem more agreeable, or funny; any form of negative self-talk actually lowers our overall quality of life. We are listening, and we shouldn’t be cutting ourselves off from the essence of who we are by speaking poorly of ourselves in an effort to look humble. 

Having confidence in ourselves in every little way — from forgiving ourselves for the mistakes that we make, to recognizing and being proud of our successes — is the best way to step into our own light, and then help others to see their own beauty within.

RuPaul is a great reminder of this as she not only dons her extravagant “eleganza” for our entertainment, but also proudly reveals the glamorous man beneath the glitz and glam while still looking stellar in a suit, at the end of her show.

Loving our bodies, minds and spirits as they are enough to express ourselves by either walking down a runway in stilettos, or showing up unapologetically in converse high-tops, because that’s what’s comfortable, are all okay! 

So is smiling widely for the camera, no matter how many pimples we got that day! 

That is self-love! That is self-esteem! That is confidence. And it’s contagious!

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle.”  - The Teaching of Buddha 

Can you imagine how amazing our society will be when we are all this free of spirit? Unapologetically showing up for ourselves so that we can show up for each other?

Showing our children, our parents, our friends and even our teachers that we 100% love ourselves for who we are, paves the way for others to love themselves in a healthy way.

That is the truest essence of love there is.