LOVE STEP 8 - SELF ESTEEM ARTICLE
FULL CIRCLE- READY...SET...STOP!
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Stella's most excellent self
esteem article... |
This website is all about finding and
keeping love. But we're going to
step aside here for a moment, forget about all that, and talk about a
different kind of love--- love for yourself.
This is the heart of the
whole matter, and probably the most important
step of all.

Go ahead, get yourself in shape, improve your
appearance, get rid of
some
nasty habits. Educate yourself on dating etiquette. Then, relax.
Take time out to enjoy the new, improved model. It's time now for
you to come to the point where you honestly, sincerely don't care if
you get a date or not. And if you've recently gone through a painful parting,
read this solid advice for
Surviving a Breakup.
This may not be easy, but you must gain
peaceful acceptance of
yourself, and where you are in your life. You
must learn to love
yourself first. Only then will true love come into
your life. And it will
happen when you least expect it to... when you're
not looking for it.
Easy for us to say, huh? But how do you
do this? Learn to love
yourself? We each had different ways of explaining it, so we figured
that if each of us told our story, and how we came to peace, you
might find your own path to happiness, too...
SELF ESTEEM ARTICLE

"BE YOURSELF"...BY
"THE JOCK"
Self esteem article...
I've always had a lot of self-esteem, so
this was pretty easy for me.
I have four older brothers, and they always made me feel special, so
I already knew I was special from a young age. When it came to
romance, I decided I was going to continue being special, too. Did
you know that you can actually be yourself and win in the game of
love?
I look around me and see so many people playing games, trying
to be something they're not. Anything to find a soul mate and spark
that special thrill called love. Problem is, once the magic leaves, they
have to resort to being themselves again. What then? If you want
someone to fall in love with you...then you'll have to be yourself!
Tennis, anyone?
SELF ESTEEM ARTICLE

"YOU'RE JUST A
LOVE MACHINE"...
BY "THE MYSTIC"

Self esteem article...
I always look at things from a mystical,
philosophical point of view.
I believe in spirits, and souls, and angels, and that everything
happens for a reason. And, I believe you have the power within you
to make your own good luck in love. How? Quit thinking there's
someone out there who can give you all the love you need. That's
nonsense!
The best way to get love is to create it yourself! By
cultivating and nurturing caring, loving feelings, you can provide
yourself with all the "soul food" you need. And the side effect of all
this... those sweet feelings radiate outward to others. People
instinctively gravitate towards loving souls, both men and women.
And your cup will run over...
SELF ESTEEM ARTICLE

"FOLLOW
YOUR PASSION"...
BY "HIPPIE CHICK"

Self esteem article...
Hey, how are ya? I'm not talking about
physical passion here, you
know. I'm talking about soul passion. The good things in life. The
stuff that really makes you happy! What is it for you? The sublime
scent of your perfect rose garden? The velvety touch of a
horse's
muzzle? The haunting music from your own violin? The feel of
warm
salt spray on your skin as you conquer windsurfing? I could go on
and
on here, but I think you get the point. Finding a mate is not nearly
as
important as becoming your own person and following your passion.
Look inward. Instead of relying on other people for happiness, find
your own. The best way to do this is to pursue a hobby or goal that
really, really makes your soul happy. Become absorbed in it. So lost
and happy that you find yourself humming while you do it....Then, you
will ooze happiness and self-sufficiency. You will come from a place
of "spiritual health"...and men will find you!
That's exactly what
happened to me after years of frantically listening to my "biological
clock" tick...It was only when I tuned it out that true love entered
my life.
.....Peace, sister...

SELF ESTEEM ARTICLE

"LETTING GO"...BY
"PEACHES"

Self esteem article...
I guess you might say I'm the lover of
the group. I like people, love
to party. I was the girl who always had a boyfriend in school. But I've
also
had
my lonely times. And times when I felt desperate to find a
lover.
A
few years ago, I went through a sad and difficult divorce.
Afterwards, I quickly found out it wasn't quite as easy to find a good
boyfriend as it was in high school. After divorce, there is a
tendency
to panic. That's why so many new divorcees foolishly jump
immediately
back into matrimony...you know, the rebound effect.
Scared to be
alone. Luckily, I didn't make that mistake.
Anyway, there I was, divorced, lonesome
and alone, trying to learn
the new dating game in my thirties. I finally got tired of all the crap,
and just decided to let go. Boy, did that feel
good! I didn't give up
on love or men, I just quit worrying about it. I gave up control. I
quit
paddling upstream. I just let that canoe turn around and lazily float
downstream, with the flow.
I let life come to me in it's own good time.
And I felt light, and free of the burden, the struggle of trying too
hard to connect. And I just knew that somehow, all would be well, and
love would come back to me when it was time for it. And it did.

By the way, I'm the talker in the group,
too. Can you tell?
SELF ESTEEM ARTICLE

"SELF LOVE"... BY STELLA
Self esteem article...
Yeah, it's me, and if you've been
following my story in this website,
you kinda know a little bit about my past. I was married for 17 years
before my divorce. I then spent years searching for a soul mate.
I was rusty and trying too
hard and went through a couple of less
than ideal relationships.
l also tried moving, decorating a new house,
and buying lots of things. Each new project I started or new
toy I
bought, I thought it would make me happy. Of course, it didn't.
I was lonesome, frustrated and angry, and my self-esteem was
at an all-time low. What a dark time in my life!
I honestly don't know what helped me to
let go, but I do give some
credit to meditation and prayer. Man, it was delicious to let go. A
sense of inner peace came over me. A celestial sedative! I started to
make plans for pursuing my passion, scuba diving. The heck with
dating, I was sick of the whole scene. I was going diving.
Something else happened to me about this
time. I'm not sure exactly
what brought this on, either. I just started forgiving myself,
accepting myself, with all my imperfections. Kinda like I made peace
with myself.
There was nothing wrong with me! I didn't need a man to
validate me. I was a good woman, and special, and I had learned to
love
myself. What a rare and special gift. And it's there for you, too,
if
you'll just open up to it.
Well, that's my story. Soon afterward, a
wonderful, special man with
a big heart and warm arms entered my life...unexpected but very
welcome. And I honestly believe that though we met, we would not
have connected and
started dating if I hadn't come to a peaceful,
self-confident stage in
my life.

P.S.- And I really did Feng Shui my house
shortly before I met him!
"I have an everyday religion that works for me. Love yourself first,
and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to
get anything done in this world..."
-Lucille Ball (1911-1989)

SELF ESTEEM ARTICLE

"EXPECT A MIRACLE"
Expect A Miracle
,
By Kathy Freston
True hope here. This book can create a
true miracle for you. It's a
hands-on guide to transforming your life. Through meditation
and
soul-searching exercises, the author guides you through spiritual
housecleaning.
In finding joy and tapping in to the love within yourself,
you set the stage for true love to enter your life. Not only will you
bring a loving relationship home, you will bring tremendous peace and
joy into your everyday existence.
Kathy states: "Miracles are always coming
toward us, more
abundantly than you could ever imagine. It is simply a matter of being
open and ready to receive them. Our stillness is the ideal ground in
which to plant that seed of perfect partnership."
We feel that Kathy's book truly embodies
everything we've tried to
say in this section, and gives you a step-by-step guide to follow.
She's got it figured. Grab this book. And come full circle.
Self esteem article...
"Happiness is like a deer in the forest. If
you pursue it, it runs away.
But if you sit quietly, forget the deer, and appreciate the beauty
around you, that deer will come to you..."
-Stella, 2004

By now, you have seen how truly important we feel
this step is for you. Just for good measure, we've got one last article for you:
Be True to Yourself to Find True Love. It's worth the read.
So, that's our self esteem article... our
wish is that one of these
stories helps you find yourself and come to peace. Do you know someone else who
could benefit from this page? Then
share the wealth, it's easy to do!
Go on to
Step 9-- our
gateway to the second part of this
website... keeping love alive.