Personal Growth

11 Inspirational Quotes On How To Love Yourself

If applied, you’ll finally heal your inner child.

There’s a concept that has stuck in my mind ever since I heard of it the first time. During a tough-love therapy session, my psychologist mentioned this amazing idea that speeds up your personal growth.

That concept was “parenting yourself.” It consists of learning how to take care of yourself “as a parental figure would” simple, right?

Let’s think about it together:

Parental figures are our main source of love, emotional stability, social interaction, and boundaries while growing up.

The peculiarities of the parenting style we are born into by chance have tons of implications on the person we’ll become during adulthood.

For example, let’s say you had loving and caring parents that worked tirelessly to provide you and your brothers and sisters with everything you might need.

But (and there’s always a but), they neglect themselves and their needs to do so. In the end, you learned that love, work, and self-care might not come in the same package or that one may come at the expense of the others.

We are shaped by many of these confusing associations. And, perhaps nowadays, if you want to visit a nail-spa and get pampered after weeks of hard work, you can’t help but feel guilty, even ashamed, of being so irresponsible… so selfish.

For better or for worse, during childhood, we learn “everything” there is to know. Raising a child successfully should be an empowering process with the tools to handle life’s problems assertively.

Still, the reality is far from being ideal or perfect. It is what it is, and we have an obligation to ourselves to make it work. How are you supposed to do that? You might ask.

Re-learning how to love yourself involves being a good parent to yourself. That includes, among other things:

• Observing healthy eating and exercising habits.
• Setting boundaries for yourself and others.
• Choosing what’s right for you, firmly rejecting what’s not, and knowing the difference between the two.
• Encouraging yourself to work for your goals.
• Going to bed early… With a good person, when possible.

There are as many parenting styles as there are parental figures in the world. But today, we’re exploring eleven tough-love inspirational quotes that can help you re-shape your self-parenting style.

The type of parent you’ll become to yourself (and others) depends a lot on what your inner child needs. Healing your “mother wound” and childhood trauma requires a serious look at the past and inside yourself.

By applying this advice, you can turn your inner-voice into a success-driven force that will still pour you hot-cocoa after a rough day: marshmallows included.

Which areas are you experiencing the most trouble with?

• Planning your future?
• Choosing the right romantic partner?
• Dealing with self-esteem issues?

Or, maybe you’re just wondering how self-love changes your life?

As an adult, the only person that can decide to get you out of trouble is the one looking back at you in the mirror.

Investing and working on your personal growth is full of tough lessons, and you need to be on the boat rowing towards self-knowledge despite all of your fears of how deep the water gets… or what lurks under the surface.

However, this personal work process isn’t focused on blaming your primary caretakers for the role they played while raising you decades ago.

Remember, you should always be kind to yourself, but also your parents. Even if they sucked at parenting you, you should keep in mind that nobody came to this world with an instruction manual titled “How to Raise Trauma-Free Children.”

We’re all doing the best we can with the cards we’re dealt under the given circumstances. It's time to stumble forward and pick up the pieces.

Become the best version of yourself by implementing these wise words to help you understand self-care more healthily. Almost immediately after, your inner world will turn into a better, more balanced place to dwell.

Love yourself fearlessly, with passion and devotion. Can self-love be taught? Self-love can be hard, and it can hurt. But we should keep loving ourselves anyway.

It does require much more than a weekly trip to the spa. It starts by recognizing your self-worth with small details like taking care of your personal image.

With no further ado, these are the ultimate twelve lessons you need to understand what self-love means.

For good this time.

“Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, but you also have an obligation to be one.” — Eleanor Roosevelt.

This first quote is a killer.

It sets the tone of what self-love looks like. At first, we are connected to our mothers via the umbilical cord. Then we’re born, learn how to walk, soon you’re trying to make it in the writing industry, or maybe getting married and looking to have kids of your own.

Somewhere in the middle, we have to build our personality, make lifelong decisions and learn how to re-parent ourselves.

Choosing the values ​​that will guide your decisions and goals is a key part of that process. The clearer the whole plan is, the easier it is to work for it.

Beyond the obvious political connotations of this phrase, we all have to stand by our beliefs, and we also need to build a place we can call home.

In the process, we must learn how to respect others despite our differences, maintaining a healthy level of independence, especially if we are in love with someone else.

That independence isn’t necessarily physical but emotional. Can you love without emotionally depending on your partner? Yes, it is a process that demands constantly remembering who we are and the place we occupy in our own lives.

Are you a passenger, or are you in the driver’s seat?

Cut the umbilical cord. Define who you are and work on your ability to learn from your mistakes. Embrace your mistakes, and you will regain the freedom to grow as a more functional human being—a human being who is adaptable, compassionate, and forgiving.

This implies the acquisition not only of rights but also duties. It ranges from knowing yourself to being capable of accepting other individualities and flaws.

Do you have what it takes?

“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” — Thomas Sowell.

Self-awareness is key to live a balanced life. The more you know yourself, the better you can understand your emotions. Navigating what you feel wisely is based on developing healthy coping mechanisms to live in harmony.

Can you lie to someone who has known you forever? Your mother, for example? It’s almost impossible. Well, I wish walking the path of self-awareness was that easy. But, we are experts at fooling ourselves.

Knowing yourself is one of the most effective ways of empowerment in the world. It requires critical analysis and the destruction of our false gods. It involves taking a skeptical look at our beliefs, which are often what’s holding us back.

This accountability process will lead you to check:

• Who do you think you are?
• Who are you, really?
• And, most importantly, who do you want to be?

Self-awareness can help you overcome your fears by making you face your inner demons. It will also teach you to have a healthier relationship with them.

Accept who you are, work on your shortcomings. Perfection is an illusion that distracts you from your true self.

Releasing yourself from that burden will make you invincible.

“You have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” — Louise L. Hay.

The biggest enemy we all have is our inner saboteur. That voice cripples us and talks back every time we try something new. Talking to ourselves should be a process of inner feedback that propels us forward with the power of love.

However, this is not usually the case. Why is that? We have to make an effort to give ourselves the same compassion and understanding that we afford a good friend.

Every time that inner voice is behaving like your worst enemy, answer back! Ask the reasons why we won’t be able to make it.

A great way to make that voice quiet is with facts. Remember, actions speak louder than words in every possible context, even inside your mind.

That dialogue can help you figure out some of the roots of your insecurities. Learn to be a good parent to yourself, one that motivates you to fight back, to keep pedaling until you regain balance.

Listen to the voice carefully, showing it the love it deserves. Even if you don’t know how to receive love, you still need it.

“Change is inevitable, but personal growth is a choice.” — Boc Proctor.

Anxiety, uncertainty, and stress! The great triad of adulthood. Did you, by chance, start experiencing bruxism, panic attacks, and depression in your mid-twenties? You don’t say! Isn’t it exciting?

Do you have doubts as to whether you’ll be able to provide for yourself, keep your job, or if you’re making the right decisions for your professional development?

Change is a constant, and the worst we could do is bitch about it. Being happy to fight each obstacle you bump into is unrealistic and almost unbearably cheesy. But, let me tell you, there’s no point in creating more problems with a pessimistic or fatalist attitude.

You can actually pick your battles by balancing your values, goals, and probable outcomes. You can also work emotionally to see the glass half full.

Stop hurting yourself! A great personal growth milestone is accepting we don’t have control over the journey, but we’re more than welcome to enjoy the ride.

“Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves even when we risk disappointing others.” — Brene Brown.

Boundaries are vital to understanding how some relationships work and others don’t. The need to communicate our needs and preferences clearly implies the responsibility to be transparent. It also requires mastering your listening skills.

Adulting successfully requires lots of boundaries. Being your own father figure forces you to accept that, even though you wish to have chili for dinner every night, it won’t be the best for your health.

It also requires knowing when you’re working too much. That you know when an abusive boss has gone too far or when a friendship is being rather toxic, at these moments of your life, you have to be strong enough to tell yourself: Honey, you’ve had enough. You can’t keep doing this. Stop whenever you’re ready.

Boundaries are a feedback process in which you can discuss some things, but others cannot be negotiated. It is the only way to build relationships based on respect and empathy.

Some people will not be happy with the boundaries you are trying to impose, and that’s ok. Sometimes change hurts. Yet, in the long run, when a person can’t respect your boundaries, it’s because they were taking advantage of you not having them to begin with.

You don’t need those people in your life.

“Respect yourself enough to walk away from what no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you happy.” — Robert Tew.

Remember that voice that’s always nagging you when you’re about to try something new? Well, the truth is that voice is only trying to protect you. I know it can drive you crazy sometimes, but if you manage to differentiate when it’s a case of anxiety going wild and your instinct speaking up, that’s a wonderful skill to have.

Yes, there are situations in which you have to deal with stuff you don’t like. But we do it because of the results we can obtain from it. Will it lead us to a bachelor's degree? To improve your cardio resistance? Stay in a relationship with a person we love?

But, we cannot predict if a relationship is going to work or not. Nevertheless, we can definitely figure out when we feel like leaving. Giving opportunities to a person who doesn’t appreciate that chance is a declaration of your self-worth.

Don’t you deserve another shot at being happy?

“Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.” — Les Brown.

You are the only one responsible for the decisions you made. Stop wasting your life playing the role of the victim. Sometimes things can get incredibly hard, but you have the potential to overcome any obstacle if you:

• Embrace change.
• Take responsibility for what happened.
• Change your approach and attitude.
• Keep trying harder.
• Repeat.

“When you say yes to others, make sure you’re not saying ‘no’ to yourself.” — Paulo Coelho.

Stay true to yourself. Pleasing others is comfortable in the short term. But, little by little, you end up building a wall of dissatisfaction around you.

Do you remember when we talked about boundaries? In this case, it is about the boundaries that you have to establish for yourself.

Toxic relationships, addiction, and codependent bonds are popular among people who find it almost impossible to cope with the frustration of indulging other people’s desires over and over again.

Desire itself is an ocean that we must learn to navigate carefully. A healthy form of love doesn’t demand a total and unconditional surrender of your opinions and willpower.

On the contrary, healthy love knows how to set limits. If you find yourself giving up on your own truth to make someone else happy, go somewhere else.

That won’t work, not even with therapy.

“You’re always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company.” — Diane Von Furstenberg.

What happened with the cutest part of self-care?

The one with the bubble bath, the glass of wine, and cucumbers over the eyes?

Finally! We’re here! Who do you think is responsible for taking care of your health now? You guessed correctly! Put those potato chips down and listen:

You’re the grown-up now.

• Make that dentist appointment.
• Take the garbage out.
• Put moisturizer on your skin.

Loving yourself is a daily ritual that involves lots of small details. Being a responsible adult doesn’t mean neglecting your health, your friends, or your hobbies. Instead, it requires mastering strategies to balance all your interests and needs.

Being an adult gives you the freedom to change your life and heal your past wounds. Buy fresh produce, take your medicines, keep your space tidy, or pet your dogs for as long as you want.

You have an obligation to start choosing wisely. If you ask me, I will pet my dogs first and figure out the rest later.

“Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” — M. Scott Peck.

That’s self-explanatory, clear, and powerful.

What are you doing with your life? Postponing your dreams is the best way to show the world how they can treat you. Believe me, they know what self-love looks like, and they can quickly spot the opposite.

Focus on your goals, ditch the superfluous opinions of others, and roll up your sleeves.

Self-discipline is the ability to continue working for your dreams no matter what. It requires focusing on our goals without allowing momentary distractions to get the best of us.

Your time is now.

“Love is the grounding of our existence as humans and is the basic emotion in our systemic identity as human beings.” — Humberto Maturana.

Never give up; Life is a beautiful gift.

We are here because of the miracle being cared for during childhood. Chilean Nobel Prize-winning philosopher Humberto Maturana goes as far as to say, “we are creatures born to love.”

We don’t have claws. Instead, our hands are soft to the touch. Our bodies are warm, making us capable of cuddling babies. It’s no coincidence that human offspring needs more care than many others. Instead, it’s a consequence.

Was the love you received during childhood perfect? Were your parents everything you wished them to be? Probably not.

And there is nothing you can do to turn back the clock and change things. You can only work on your present to build a better future, one in which you can finally provide yourself with all the love you’ve needed since you were a kid.

Each obstacle, each symptom, each discovery will bring you closer and closer to take control over your emotional needs.

Forget about building a perfect concept of motherhood. Instead, rebuild your vision and experience of what your childhood was. Consider that, just like you, your parents are imperfect people.

Stop denying yourself the opportunity to outgrow trauma. Don’t settle in the name comfort. Go after excitement!

Inadvertently, you’ve been building a new concept of parenting over the years. As you rediscover your past from a different perspective, you’ll also begin to understand what type of mother and father you have been needing.

It’s about time someone tells you: everything’s going to be ok. I’m here for you. You can always count on me.

The best person to do that now is you. Start today!