Today, I’m sharing words you might need to hear right now, or words you might need to remember, because you easily forget, or because you’ve never heard them. Words you can say to yourself, because you don’t have to wait for someone else to tell you. Because telling yourself is enough…

You can be yourself—exactly who and how you are. Like what you like. Love what you love. Appreciate your idiosyncrasies. Your weirdness, or your sensitivity, or your distaste for certain things. You don’t have to pretend anymore.

Respect yourself. Always respect yourself. It doesn’t matter what mistakes or poor decisions you’ve made. It really doesn’t. You always deserve to receive respect from others and from yourself. From your boss. Your partner. Your friends.

You are worth the bouquet of flowers. You are worth the healthy relationship. You are worth the organic apple, even if costs $2 extra. You are worth the class, the hardcover book, the super soft bedsheets, the extra help, the extra sleep, the extra 20 minutes to sit and savor your lunch, the weekend getaway, the massage, the time alone, the celebration.

You know what you need and what you want. Again, you just have to remember that you’re worthy of it. You are worthy of dreaming sweet dreams, and you are worthy of providing for yourself.

You don’t have to pursue punishing goals. Goals that don’t mean anything to you. Goals that don’t feel good. Goals that don’t inspire you. Goals that feel like chores. Goals that don’t stem from your values. You can pursue what is meaningful, what is fun, and what is fascinating, uplifting and exciting to you.

You don’t need to hide your body at the beach if it doesn’t resemble a magazine cover model. You can wear a bikini or anything else you want. You can wear whatever you feel best in. Anywhere. There are no standards your must follow. There are no rules to obey. Please don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.

Creating is never a waste of time. Nothing that engages your imagination or sparks your senses or helps you grow or brings you joy or makes you come alive is ever a waste. (That goes for anything.) And it’s never too late to start.

Whether anyone has ever told you this or not, you deserve respect and love and care. Every day. Every moment. Be the first person to give yourself these things. Even if you don’t believe this right now, start acting as if you do. Ask yourself, “If I loved myself, if I respected myself, if I cared compassionately for myself, what would I do? What would this look like?” Then act in those ways. Beautiful doors will open.

Photo from Shutterstock.

(c) Weightless – Read entire story here.