The importance of cultivating self-love
Talking about self-love has become common, but practicing it authentically remains a deep and daily challenge. It is not an abstract concept, but something everyday and imperfect that is built in the silence of our own inner voice. Our co-founder, Ursula Pfeiffer, explains that this love is based on how we talk to ourselves when no one else is listening, how we react to our imperfections, how we treat ourselves when we don’t meet our own expectations.
Self-love is not just another task to add to our endless list of responsibilities. On the contrary, it is the intimate and constant recognition of our worth, a daily practice of acceptance and celebration of who we are today, in this precise moment.
Exercise: Emotional Recognition
Find a quiet place and place your hands over your heart. Breathe deeply, observing how you feel at this moment. Recognize your emotion, whether it is sadness, joy, or anxiety. Gently repeat: “It’s okay to feel what I feel. I can be with myself as I am here and now.” This simple practice creates a safe space to embrace and validate yourself, thus strengthening your self-love.
Believing in yourself as a daily practice
Roy T. Bennett wrote: “Believe in yourself. You are braver, more talented, and more capable than you think.” It is surprising how easy it is for us to forget our qualities and achievements. We constantly question our decisions, our ideas, and our abilities, often influenced by external voices that have been internalized to become permanent self-criticism.
Believing in yourself is a practice, not a single act. It involves constantly remembering past experiences in which you did achieve your goals, moments in which you felt pride and security. These experiences are more than memories; they are evidence of your ability and your worth.
Exercise: Confidence Visualization
In a quiet space, remember a situation where you felt proud and secure. Relive it intensely: what you saw, heard, and felt. Now imagine that feeling of accomplishment transforming into a yellow light that emanates from within you and envelops your entire body. Visualize how this light illuminates any current challenge, repeating to yourself: “I trust myself. I am wonderful just as I am.”
Transforming pain into a starting point
Often, when we go through difficult situations or make mistakes, we turn them into a permanent emotional burden. But Allen Cohen wisely reminds us: “Use pain as a stepping stone, not a dwelling place.” Pain should not become our identity; on the contrary, it is an opportunity for personal growth, to learn profound lessons that allow us to move forward with greater wisdom.
Accepting and understanding our pain from a compassionate and empathetic perspective is essential for our emotional well-being. It is not about denying pain or minimizing it, but about recognizing it, processing it, and using it as fuel for growth.
Exercise: Recognizing difficult emotions
In a quiet place, breathe deeply three times. Recognize an uncomfortable emotion you are currently feeling: sadness, anger, fear. Name it clearly and allow it to exist within you without judgment. Ask yourself what message this emotion is bringing you, what area of your life it points to. Observe your internal response with compassion and be grateful for the learning opportunity that emotion offers you.
Your unique power is your authenticity
We live in a world that constantly invites us to compare ourselves, to seek our worth in resemblance to others. But true strength lies in our uniqueness. As a powerful thought states, “There is no one like you. Only you are you and that is your great power.”
This uniqueness is not a disadvantage, but our greatest asset. Our personal history, our unique way of seeing and experiencing the world, is what makes us special and unrepeatable. Celebrating our authenticity is not an act of arrogance, but a revolutionary act of recognition and internal validation.
Let’s remember the powerful response Lady Gaga gave when she was compared to Madonna: “I don’t need comparisons, because each one is unique in their own qualities and talents.” Like her, we must learn to value ourselves and celebrate what makes us different.
Exercise: Recognizing your uniqueness
Give yourself a brief five-minute space daily. In front of the mirror or in a notebook, affirm something that celebrates your uniqueness: “Today I recognize and celebrate that I am unique and wonderful exactly as I am.” This simple act reinforces your self-esteem and reminds you of your authentic worth.
The constant practice of self-love
Self-love is not a destination, but a continuous journey of self-discovery and acceptance. It is a practice that requires constancy, affection, and compassion towards ourselves. It is not about seeking perfection, but about opening daily spaces in which we can listen to ourselves, understand ourselves, and embrace ourselves emotionally, even on our most difficult days.
Cultivating this love also implies learning to say positive things to ourselves, to take care of our internal dialogue, and to establish healthy emotional boundaries that respect our peace and balance.
Every day is a new opportunity to reconnect with yourself, to choose yourself again and affirm who you are and what you need. Don’t forget that taking care of yourself emotionally is not selfish, but necessary to offer the best of yourself to the world.
Daily exercise: Reconnecting with yourself
Every day choose a moment to pause briefly and sincerely ask yourself: “How am I today? What do I need from myself right now?” Listen to your answers without judgment, respond with love, and act accordingly. This small daily practice strengthens your internal connection and concretely nourishes your self-love.
In short, self-love is much more than a concept: it is a way of life that we consciously choose day by day. It is a decision to honor our humanity, celebrate our uniqueness, and embrace our authenticity in every moment. And by cultivating this love towards ourselves, we inevitably transform our relationships, our projects, and our impact on the world.
Watch the complementary episode “Self-love: a daily practice” on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/1mYvxkirFhg
In our next and final installment of this mindfulness journey, we will integrate all the practices explored to celebrate life from a new perspective full of consciousness and gratitude. We look forward to continuing to grow together.
