If I Loved Myself Truly and Deeply…

In 2012 Kamal Ravikant released Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It. It’s a very autobiographical book, and very short. Half an hour is all it takes to read it and Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It is worth the read. 

Detailing how he went from a very low point in his life to a point of happiness and fulfilment, Kamal shares his habits for meditation and his mantra. These things worked for him, and they may well work for you. Personally, I found a question to be much more meaningful this read through, or at least the beginning framework of a question. Through the book, questions are asked that begin “If I loved myself truly and deeply…” Three examples are:

If you loved yourself truly and deeply, would you limit your life to what you previously thought possible?

If I loved myself truly and deeply, would I let myself experience this?

If I loved myself truly and deeply, what would I do?

When we love ourselves truly and deeply, we are in touch with, and recognise the immense, beautiful, divine potential that each one of us has simply by virtue of living. Every person is invaluable, simply because they exist. When we recognise that universal worth and potential, how we treat ourselves, as well as others, will change. It will also affect how we let others treat us.

Think about your significant other, your child, or someone you love very much. When you love them, you want them to be happy, and you want the best for them. If you love yourself truly and deeply, you will want the best for yourself, and you will want yourself to be as happy as you can.

James Altucher recommends writing down 10 ideas a day about a specific topic as a way to build your mental muscles and creativity, as well as to generate ideas. In my own life, I’ve adapted this to making a list of 10 things. It could be 10 ways to grow my business, 10 things to do before you die, 10 foods you want to try, 10 blog post ideas, 10 ways to lace your shoes, or whatever. Today, I wrote in my journal 10 ways my life would be different if I loved myself truly and deeply. 

1. I would exercise more 
2. I would work harder at getting a new job
3. I would eat healthier
4. I would eat less
5. I would prioritise writing
6. I would watch less television
7. I would read more
8. I would believe in myself more
9. I would trust and believe in my thoughts and instincts more
10. I would spend more time building the Life, Liberty, And Pursuit Of Happiness Project

Take a minute and think about how your life would be different if you loved yourself truly and deeply.

If you loved yourself truly and deeply, would you skip that workout?

If you loved yourself truly and deeply, would you stay at that job you hate just because it’s what you’re used to and change is scary?

If you loved yourself truly and deeply, would you stay with that abusive person? 

If you loved yourself truly and deeply, would you remain a slave to your addiction?

If you loved yourself truly and deeply, would you settle for anything less than you deserve?

Most of us probably don’t love ourselves as well as we should; not as truly, not as deeply. Life has a way of beating us down. Others demean us, abuse us, and try to hold us down. It takes work, resilience, and determination to push past those things. Loving ourselves is a challenge sometimes, but it is a challenge that can be overcome. Loving yourself truly and deeply may be something you have to work at your whole life, but if you want to be as happy as possible, and truly live your best life and be your best self, it’s a necessity.

So, what do you think? If you loved yourself truly and deeply, how would your life be different and what are you going to do to love yourself more truly and deeply?

---

Garrett Leeds is the founder of the Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness Project