02/14/2026
How does that feel to you? Does it feel true? The thought may bring a smile to your face or a warmness to your heart. You may even sigh. Say it again. Does it feel untrue…like you are lying to yourself? Just thinking about love and acceptance may make you feel uncomfortable or anxious.
You may think you love yourself but that love may be conditional. You may not accept yourself. You may think you are too fat. You will love yourself when you are thin. You may believe that you are unworthy. You will love yourself when others tell you that you are worthy.
You may criticize yourself for mistakes you’ve made. You will love yourself when you do everything right. You may compare yourself to others and find that you are lacking. You may tell yourself that others are more attractive, more intelligent, and more successful. You will love yourself when you are perfect and better than anyone you know.
Consider the conditions you have placed on yourself. Whenever you engage in negative self-talk, you are not loving yourself. You are not accepting yourself as you are right now.
In the 1840s, an American newspaper called The Public Ledger endorsed the holiday of Valentine's Day, saying that people needed “more soul-play and less head-work” and more opportunities that allowed for an “abandon of feeling.” I like that concept.
As soul, we can let go of the head-work of the ego when we clear the monkey-mind. We can release the thoughts that cause negative emotions. We can choose to go within where we are able to connect with and accept our true value… without the ego’s judgment…without the outside programming.
