Why is it so hard to love ourselves?

I don’t know if it is an American quality or just a human quality, but why are so many people unhappy and judgmental? And, why is it so hard for people to change the way the think of themselves?

Rather than spending time working on their exterior appearances, it is time for people to concentrate on their inner person – the person that has feelings of self-loathing.

When I first got sober, I put on a face and pretended to like myself. I put a lot of time and effort into my outside appearance – I shopped, lost weight, etc. On the outside it looked as if I had it all.

However, I remember a friend saying to me, “You look great on the outside now, but, wouldn’t it be great to look like that on the inside as well?”

I thought about that statement for a long time and I didn’t get it at first. I thought that the only thing that was important to me was the outside. Little did I know that in fact it is all about the inside.

Since then, I have spent years trying to perfect my core – my heart – so that my inner person matches my outer person.

The reality is that life is progress not perfection, and I have taken the time and energy to figure out what is important to me about myself. The things about myself that are most important to me are my inner happiness, kindness and love.  I have also taken the time to learn that purchasing the perfect pair of jeans or reaching my desired goal on the scale will never work in making me happy for the rest of my life.

So, what is the key to figuring out what makes you happy on the inside? Living in the moments of today, not tomorrow or yesterday.

By living in the moment of today, you will be able to find out what is actually causing you pain and anxiety on the inside. And, ultimately, it will allow you to find the love that you lost for yourself and begin to work on what makes you happy.