A New Look at Selfishness - Love to Love Yourself

Hello all and Happy New Year,

Writing has been a difficult task for me lately but I couldn't help myself in sharing some of the thoughts I have been pondering on this turning of the year.
One of those thoughts was "how much is enough love when bestowed upon oneself? who comes first? we do? or always put others first, a teaching most of us have been bombarded with since birth?
In fact, in the Christian Bible, we are told that Jesus taught the commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.” The part about loving your neighbor is clear to most people; it is generally accepted that being kind and respectful to others is a virtue. But the part about loving ourselves confuses some people. Isn’t loving yourself considered selfish?

Redefining Selfishness
In his book The Art of Selfishness, David Seabury defines selfishness as “looking after your own needs so that no one else will have to.” And Dr. Bernie Siegel, author of the bestselling book Love, Medicine & Miracles, explains how self-love is the essence of good health: “The extent to which we love ourselves determines whether we eat right, get enough sleep, smoke, wear seat belts, exercise, and so on.”
Learning how to practice this type of healthy “selfishness” is a step toward better physical and mental health, which then puts you in a position of strength to tackle obstacles and build meaningful relationships. The first step to becoming an adult in relationships starts with self-love.
To love yourself may be and art but is above all an act of respect for yourself, others, and life itself. If you hear a little voice in your head telling you that loving yourself is a bad thing, consider the consequences of not loving yourself. People with low self-esteem tend to become physically ill more often than those with high self-esteem. Also, they are more vulnerable to scams, because they place more importance in other people’s opinions than in their own. And those who lack self-confidence are more likely to settle for lower salaries.
Begin the art of selfishness by taking responsibility for your own needs. No one will take better care of you than you take care of yourself. You set the standard by which others will take you seriously. Take small steps on a daily basis to build self-confidence and self-reliance. As you take better care of yourself, others will respond to you positively.
In time, you will discover that loving your neighbor as yourself is a sacred circle of balanced energy, where everyone benefits.
So, my wishes for us all in 2012, are that we give a little more to ourselves, love ourselves a little more, run the extra 2 miles if needs be, but only if it makes our souls cry in happiness.
May we all find the abundant flow of love within our core, bask in it, and then spread it freely around us.
Brightest blessings,
Ana Paula