VOLUME III / ISSUE II / FEBRUARY 2019
MOLD YOUR MIND
SELF-LOVE:
THE INGREDIENT TO A HAPPY LIFE ingredient to a happy life, and that's selflove. I came upon a quote recently that registered with me, “Self-love is not selfish. You cannot truly love another until you know how to love yourself.”
Joey Velez, columnist
As the month of February is upon us, most individuals think about one thing: Valentine’s Day. Whether the question is “What do I get my significant other?” or “Who is going to be my Valentine?” The theme of love fills the air. However, love does not have to be restricted exclusively to the notion of a couple. Love also needs to be viewed in terms of self-love and loving what you do. Self-love and loving what you do are essential components of living a well-balanced life, and hold similar importance as loving others.
Love Yourself Learning to love yourself is no easy task. We live in a world full of judgment, people seeking attention from external sources, and focusing on the attention of others, all to potentially find a place in this world. However, we overlook a very key page 156
I have always believed that you cannot take care others if you cannot first take care of yourself, and I believe the same goes for love. Manifesting self-love can have exponential benefits that include an increase in confidence, motivation, and a decreased amount of stress. To manifest self-love, start by writing down all the things that you love about yourself. This can be challenging as you may struggle to come up with meaningful attributes or characteristics about yourself, so if you are having difficulties here then ask close people around you. Whether it is a family member or a close friend, ask them what it is they love about you. Not only will this create positive emotions, but it may also help you discover something about yourself that you did not know before. Those in your inner circle know who you truly are and will give you meaningful answers. Knowing who you are and how your loved ones feel about you can have a tremendous impact on your ability to love yourself.
Love What You Do The famous phrase from Confucius states, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” I love sports, especially
basketball, and do what I can to keep myself involved in the game. Last September, I was presented with the opportunity to coach the Junior Varsity boys basketball team at my old high school. Recently, we lost by 25 points to a very tough team, but this sort of result as been fairly common through the first 12 games of the season. After this recent game, our varsity coach came up after I spoke with my guys and said “Joey, no matter how you guys do, you always have a smile on your face”. Do I enjoy losing by 25 points on a regular basis? Absolutely not. However, it brings me satisfaction and tremendous joy that I get to coach these young individuals each and every day. The result does not matter because I absolutely enjoy sidelines. There are situations where you have to do what is necessary to survive, so you may be in a profession that you do not fully enjoy. If you are in a profession that you do not enjoy, there are two things you can try. First, try and pick out one aspect that you do enjoy in your profession. Whether it is someone you work with, or maybe it is a beautiful drive to and from work, pick out one thing that you enjoy and focus your attention there. Second, have something to look forward to at the end of your day. Whether it is having a certain beverage, seeing a certain person, or even planning to go golfing at the end of the week. Having something to