A Guest Post by Cherise Young

While driving, I heard a song I don’t remember hearing before. I say remember because there are way too many times I would drive with the radio serving only as background noise to the chatter in my mind and life.

But this time, I heard the words, “So go ahead and live like you’re loved. His love made you more than enough.”

What can life look like when you believe you are loved? What would it take to prove to yourself that you are appreciated and adored? To be loved means to be cherished and when we cherish someone we view them as special and treat them well. In fact, we enjoy spending time with them; doing so nurtures the individual and the relationship.

The one who receives our love is encouraged to grow, knowing they are treasured. When we value someone, we esteem them and enjoy motivating them to do more — to be more. Living like you are loved requires you to treasure and encourage yourself. We wouldn’t need someone “out there” to tell us how important we are. Our self-talk would have that department covered.

New parents, prizing each new accomplishment their child enjoys, will document every step. Falls and missteps are excused and mistakes are corrected lovingly. Being loved does not mean we are allowed to act any way we want and can include correction and maybe some pain. When we know we are adored, we understand that the pain is temporary and can lead to a great and lasting outcome.

Also, believing we are prized, we cut ourselves some slack when mistakes are made. Just like a child who, when disciplined, will cry and cling to the parent who doled out the punishment; we too must acknowledge the pain but hold on to the fact that we are loved. Living like you are loved requires you to understand that there will be limits but they aren’t there to destroy you.

Self-love, one of the buzzwords for 2019, is not only about massages and meditation.

No, self-love includes enforcing relationship boundaries as well. There is a saying that goes: We teach others how to treat us. Imagine the lessons we would all learn if we realized that loving ourselves includes telling others (and ourselves), “No.”

Going back to that song I heard on the radio — Living like we are loved takes into consideration that we are born enough and will always be enough. No, we aren’t perfect. We’re way too human for that. Yet, we came into this world equipped with all that we need to live full lives – abundant lives if you will.

As you head into 2020, it is important to leave behind any self-defeating thoughts and behaviors that try to convince you that you aren’t enough. These thoughts can sound like: “I need more,” or “If only I had more,” and the infamous, “One day I will ___.”  What this kind of thinking does is cause you to doubt that you are cherished, courageous, and capable... now.

Please don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with improving upon the greatness that is already you. Self-improvement, too, is an expression of self-love.

What I discourage is the perpetual race toward “someday,” without ever living fully in today.

Living like you are loved requires being mindful of the here and now. Knowing that you were designed for a purpose — a future purpose and a right now purpose. While you wait for your ship to come in, untie that dinghy and go to the places you thought you could dream of. You don’t have to remain standing on the shore. You are loved, so live!

Until soon. 

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CandaceAlikéSmith.com is a wellness and wanderlust journal penned by writer Candace Smith. Read her diary entries, and follow her content on essential oils, product reviews, local libations, and wellness travel. Read her mom’s mental health contributions and get your mind right.

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