31 Days Of I Love Myself Enough : Day 14
DAY FOURTEEN: I LOVE MYSELF ENOUGH TO BELIEVE I AM WORTHY OF LOVE
This was a revelation for me!!
For so long, I believed that I had to earn love. That I had to be good enough, do enough, give enough and put everyone else’s needs before my own to be worthy of being loved.
Love was conditional.
So I became the people pleaser, the victim, the martyr, the doormat. I took on so many roles, often at the expense of my own happiness, because deep down, I didn’t believe I was worthy of love just as I was.
I thought that if I could make everyone else happy, keep the peace, be helpful, be needed and never cause any trouble, then perhaps I would be loved, accepted and valued.
Writing this now saddens me. 
It saddens me to think of all the times I abandoned myself, ignored my own needs, stayed in situations that hurt me and made myself smaller because I was afraid that being true to myself might mean losing someone’s love.
But I also recognise that I was doing the best I could with what I believed at the time. I hadn’t yet learnt that love isn’t something we have to earn by sacrificing ourselves.
We don’t have to be perfect.
We don’t have to please everyone.
We don’t have to prove our worth through what we do for others.
We don’t have to accept poor treatment to keep someone in our lives.
We are worthy of love simply because we exist.
And that includes YOU!
You are worthy of love when you’re having a bad day. You’re worthy of love when you make mistakes. You’re worthy of love when you say no, set a boundary or choose to put yourself first.
You don’t have to work yourself into the ground, constantly give to others or become someone you’re not to deserve love.
One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is to stop looking outside of ourselves for the validation we have been longing for and begin to recognise our own worth.
This doesn’t mean we no longer need or want love from others. We are human, and connection matters. It means we stop believing that someone else’s inability to love us, appreciate us or treat us well determines our worth.
Today, I choose to remind myself that I am worthy of love, not because of what I do, what I give or how much I sacrifice, but because of WHO I AM.
And so are you.
If you have spent years trying to earn love, please know that you are not alone. You can begin, one day at a time, to let go of the belief that you have to prove yourself worthy.
Today’s affirmation:
I am worthy of love, just as I am. I release the need to earn love by pleasing others or sacrificing myself. I choose to love, honour and value myself, knowing that I deserve to receive the same love I so freely give to others.
Sending you all so much love from my heart to yours. 
Lynn
