I love myself and therefore, I am open to receive.

I love myself and therefore, I am open to healing.

I love myself and therefore, I am open to the light.

I love myself and therefore, I am open to love.

I love myself and therefore, I am open to abundance.

I love myself and therefore, I am open to adventure.

I love myself and therefore, I am open to new experiences.

I love myself and therefore, I am open to new opportunities.

I love myself and therefore, I am open to newness.

I love myself and therefore, I am open to the powerful beings of light that are all around me.

I love myself and therefore, I am open to divine guidance.

I love myself and therefore, I am open to miracles.

I love myself and therefore, I know that I deserve goodness.

I love myself and therefore, I am open to all that life wants to bring to me.

I love myself and therefore, I am open to the very best that life has to offer.

I love myself and therefore, I am open to the very best that life has to offer.

I love myself and therefore I trust the process of life.

I love myself and therefore I trust life is working with me to manifest what I need.

I love myself and therefore I expect the best possible outcome.

I love myself and therefore I allow myself to be spontaneous.

I love myself and therefore I allow myself to step into my greatness.

I love myself and therefore I make wise decisions.

I love myself and therefore I know and honor my needs.

I love myself and therefore I know my clear priorities.

I love myself and therefore I believe in myself.

I love myself and therefore I value myself.

I love myself and therefore I have confidence in myself.

I love myself and therefore I have confidence that life is working with me to manifest what I need.

I love myself and therefore I allow myself to step into my power.

I love myself and therefore, I don’t hold back.

I love myself and therefore I am fully expressive.

I love myself and therefore I express my needs.

I love myself and therefore I allow myself to be genuine.

I love myself and therefore I am myself.

I love myself and therefore I allow myself to be imperfect.

I love myself and therefore I allow myself to be a student of life.

I love myself and therefore I know that mistakes are necessary for learning and growth.

I love myself and therefore I can accept both compliments and crititcism, for I understand that I learn from both.

I love myself and therefore I know that I am good and that I am learning.

I love myself and therefore I offer myself kindness and care.

I love myself and therefore I forgive myself.

I love myself and therefore I forgive others.

I love myself and therefore I offer compassion to myself.

I love myself and therefore I offer compassion to others.

I love myself and therefore I allow love into my life.

I love myself and therefore I am discerning about who I allow into my life.

I love myself and therefore I am open to love.

I love myself and therefore I am courageous.

I love myself and therefore I am both cautious and courageous.

I love myself and therefore I offer myself radical self acceptance.

I love myself and therefore no feeling of mine is banished.

I love myself and therefore I accept all parts of myself.

I love myself and therefore I honor my strengths.

I love myself and therefore I embrace my weaknesses.

I love myself and therefore I allow myself to experience peace.

I love myself and therefore I surrender control.

I love myself and therefore I can say yes.

I love myself and therefore I can say no.

I love myself and therefore I can act.

I love myself and therefore I can wait.

I love myself and therefore I can speak and I can listen.

I love myself and therefore I need no validation.

I love myself and therefore I know who I am.

I love myself and therefore I allow my creativity to flow.

I love myself and therefore I give myself permission to just be.

I love myself and therefore I give myself permission to strive for more.

I love myself and therefore I allow things to unfold in their own time.

I love myself and therefore I step into my humility.

I love myself and therefore I allow myself to be enough as I am.

I love myself and therefore I attend to my mind, body and spirit everyday.

I love myself and therefore I am disciplimed.

I love myself completely.

I love myself completely.

I love myself completely.

Be aware of what shows up differently in your life, when you show up differently.

Be aware of what changes when you change.

Be aware of what changes when you truly and deeply learn to love yourself.

I will be doing this grand experiment with life right along with you.

It was late one evening (during non social distancing times) and we were having a big family sleep over at my parents home. Which basically meant that there were six adults and four kids under the age of 12 sleeping pretty much everywhere.

I traditionally have had the job of tucking the kids in.

In addition to helping them get ready for bed, I had gotten into the habit of giving each of the kids a short back massage to help them unwind. They enjoyed it and it was good bonding time for us.

Well, the 11 year old niece, who was actually only nine at the time, had made a couple of comments about how my back rubs were weird and felt funny and so I took that to mean that she didn’t particularly enjoy them.

I had no problem with this. One less kid to give a back rub to, I thought to myself.

It would actually make the night time routine a little less labor intensive!

So anyway, it’s night time and I get all of the kids tucked in. I give a back rub to the older kids and then kiss the 9 year old niece good night, shut off the light and head downstairs.

Suddenly, in the dark I hear a little indignant voice say: Hey, what about me?

It’s my niece and I can tell she is feeling slighted.

I answer back, I thought you didn’t like my back rubs. She answers back, I didn’t say that. I want to be included too.

Oh, I’m sorry I say. I misunderstood.

And, I head back up the stairs to give one more child a little extra attention and some TLC.

But while I’m walking up the stairs I am thinking how my niece is my teacher.

If the tables were turned, and I was nine and she was the adult, I don’t think I would have spoken up. I think I would have laid in bed feeling rejected, feeling left out, and feeling hurt.

I so admired that little voice in the night that spoke up and didn’t just sit with her pain. I admired that she could ask for what she needed. I admired that she could say, Hey, what about me?

And so I laid down next to my niece and rubbed her back for a while. She seemed very content and relaxed and then she asked very sweetly: Can you rub my head for a little while, that is actually my favorite part.

I nodded and I granted her request.

And with that, the nine year old smiled and drifted peacefully off to sleep.

And in the quiet of the night, I smiled too. You got a love a girl who can ask for what she needs.

Sweet dreams everyone.

~Hayley Mermelstein