“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.”
What is it?
Even though we hardly recognize it, our entire world is built on love. It is in the affection of a man and a woman, which often leads them to start a family, it is found in parents to children, in family, in friendships, etc. Deep down, it is what everybody wants but what sets us apart is the type we believe is most important.
We can say it is a force of nature and no matter how hard you push you can’t force it to come to you. What really matters is to learn how to love. You cannot give what you do not have. I have taken the time to learn from resources, people’s experiences, and mine just to fully understand this intense concept. I’m inspired to share my findings because we are in the season of love after all.
3 Steps on How to Love
1. Start with you
Contrary to what you might think, it’s quite simple. It starts with you seeing yourself as someone deserving of it. It is true that we live in a world where taking caring for yourself often comes across as selfish. But we must learn to see beyond that and understand that if we do not care and appreciate ourselves, we can’t care for others.
Setting time aside for self-care shows you value yourself which is very important in any relationship.
2. Create it
A good life attracts the right kind of people and somewhere within that pool of goodness, love is lurking. If you complete the first step of self-care, making other improvements is easy. They include positivity, developing ambition, family values, choosing like-minded friends, and so on. You cannot force love but you can attract it by putting all the pieces of your life together.
3. Know the meaning
Love has several forms and one should not be mistaken for the other. Here are different types and examples.
- Agape- The love of God and parents
- Philia- This is the love of friendship
- Storge- It means affection. It is seen in a family and couples
- Eros- This love is emotional and sometimes lustful. It is common with lovers
Each of these types has its place in our lives. However, the most important is Agape. It is a divine love from God that we must share to keep all others in place. Without agape families break, partners, betray, and so on. Use this season as a reminder to work on yourself and change everything. Check out my other blogpost on How to Have More Confidence.
XOXO, Xio💚
If you want to go more in-depth on the different kinds of love, I recommend this book: Christian Dating in Godless World.
