What is Love?

In my quest to find out how to love myself, I was faced with the question of "What is love?" If you want to love something or someone, what is it, exactly, that you are doing? What is the essence of love? What is the difference between true love and false love? This is my answer, always evolving--what I know today...

• Love is the mystery element that holds the universe in place.
• Love is everything, both visible and invisible.
• Love cannot be held, horded, bought or traded.
• Love cannot be manufactured.
• Love cannot be given or received, it just is.
• Love flows where love is.
• Love is.
• Love is light in the darkness.
• Love is eternal, infinite and timeless.
• Love is misunderstood.
• We are love, each of us.
• Our essence is divine love.
• Love is perfect; our essence is perfect.
• Love can hide in plain sight.
• You can see through love.
• Love never dies.
• Love fills and completes.
• Love is necessary.
• God is love.
• Love cannot be divided.
• Love is black and white.
• Love for one is love for all.
• You don't have to love yourself, you are love.
• You don't have to love yourself, you must wake up to the truth that you ARE Love.
• Love does not compete or compare.
• Love is not longing--love is fullness.
• Love finishes.
• Love is loyal, consistent, trustworthy, true.
• Love is patient, kind, forgiving.
• Love heals the soul.
• Abandoning yourself is removal from your source of love.
• Your source is love.
• You are love.
• The answer is love.
• You seek love that you already are.
• When you find love, you find yourself.
• The love you seek, you already have... you are love.
  
• Love is the answer.
• Love protects and provides. 
• Love nourishes, feeds and delivers.
• Love is eternal.
• Love is for you.
• A drop of love is the same as an ocean of love. 
• Love cannot be measured.
• Love is boundless.
• Love is open.
• Love encourages, blesses, benefits, adds.
• You cannot add to love, you can only uncover the truth of love.*
• Love has nothing to prove, except for itself.
• You cannot add to love, you can only uncover it.
• You cannot add to love, you can only remove the barriers to seeing it.
• Love comes only from within.
• Nothing outside of you can give you the love you need if you don't already know love inside.
• Love is wild and untame.
• Love has no agenda.
• Love is the truth.
• Love = Truth
• Love is reality.
• Love is committed.
• Love is bigger than we realize.
• Love is incredible.  
• It is impossible to "get" love, it is only possible to recognize that you already have it.
• No getting of love will last.
• The world is blind to the true essence within each of us--LOVE.
• Loving yourself means you know yourself.
• To know you is to love you because you are love.
•  Lies you believe eclipse the love that you are.
• Love is a verb, noun, adverb -- Love is everything.
• Love affirms and accepts. 

*Still testing these hypothesis. 

Loving oneself is about knowing that you exist as a manifestation of Pure Love. Denial of your true nature is denial of reality that causes pain, depression, epidemics and addiction.

A parents job is to raise their children to know that they are love; to mirror their identity, which is Pure Love, so that the child knows who he or she is and knows they are divine.

The problem of man is not lack of love, but lack of recognition of what is already inside, the stuff that we are each made of--the world is made of--the universe, existence. Life itself is LOVE.

Stop Judging Yourself

Self Judgment blinds the truth and magnifies weakness. Inner criticism promises protection, but keeps you from the healing waters of compassion. When will you let go of what you think you should be and accept the beauty of who you are?

Who is it that's judging? Who is it that's being judged? Who makes the rules? Who decides what's best for you? These questions need to be answered. Abolish the critic inside of your mind and release the compassionate guide, inner-parent, and allow God to be the lover of your soul.

Treat yourself as you would treat a friend. Give yourself with the compassion as you would someone you love--some of us treat our own selves as an enemy. Release yourself from the restrictions of perfection. You will soar ever higher without criticism weighing you down.

Ways to Abandon Yourself

What does it mean to abandon yourself? Many people who have issues with self love have a tendency to abandon themselves and give up who they are very easily. But what does that mean? You are you, so how can you abandon the person that you are? I thought it would be helpful to have a list to get started. In the coming months we will be delving into this theme continuously. It's time we bond and connect to our true selves and stop abandoning ourselves. We need to keep hold of who we are so we can live our best lives.

Ways to Abandon Yourself

• Ignoring your inner voice.
• Allowing opinions of others to change your mind and/or direction.
• Allowing actions of others to make you feel guilty or ashamed. 
• Denying or minimizing your feelings.
• Not paying attention to yourself, your needs, your health.
• Eating candy and junk when you're hungry for nutrients.
• Smoking, drinking or taking drugs.
• Not speaking up for yourself.
• Not standing up for yourself.
• Allowing your own defenses to block your progress.
• Using your energies toward anything not conducive to your highest good.
• Ignoring the cry of your heart to improve or change in any area.
• Disregarding your qualities.
• Judging yourself as less than another.
• Doubting yourself.
• Blaming yourself.
• Dissociating from reality.
• Denying your true feelings.
• Dimming your sparkle to make another comfortable.
• Putting up with disparaging treatment.
• Ignoring yourself. 
• Sabotaging your success.
• Focusing on the feelings, actions of another person.
• Trying to control the perceptions others have of you.
• Trying to prove yourself or win approval.
• Daydreaming too much; fantasizing.
• Being obsessive, compulsive or delusional.
• Being bombarded with excess shame.
• Having an external locus of control.
• Lacking in self care and self compassion.
• Lacking boundaries. 
• Chasing after someone who rejected you.
• Expecting the worst.
• Thinking the world is a bad place. 
• Having to be in control.
• Being perfectionistic.
• Beating yourself up for mistakes. 
• Negative thinking.