#23 RULE OF ME-LOVE

Get naked and get used to it!

Body image issues are big big issues. It's time to get naked and tackle them (sorry for that image). I want you to learn to be comfortable in your skin. It is the key to intimacy.

Tips:

• A friend of mine took a dance class where they practiced "zoning". Mentally divide your body up into zones, put on some trancy hippy music, and then just feel your body one zone at a time. Great way to get in touch with your physical form.
• Take a hint from the models and the strippers - LIGHTING can make a huge difference in how you look naked. I highly recommend getting a red light for your bedroom lamp. Trust me on this ladies, red light is much more forgiving. It's a good start for getting more comfortable spending time and seeing yourself in the nude.
• Watch this incredible show How to Look Good Naked.

#22 RULE OF ME-LOVE

Have days when you don't love yourself

I'm having one right now. It's natural. But it's not hopeless. Let yourself know that though it's hard to find yourself lovable at times, you will fall in love again. Hopefully tomorrow.

^

utterly unlovable &&

a face only a mother could love

tee hee

#21 RULE OF ME-LOVE

Love yourself FOR a flaw

*[This was by far the most difficult thing for me to come to terms with personally.]

 We all have flaws and we all dwell on them from time to time. You have been working on loving yourself despite your flaws. Now entertain the idea of loving yourself FOR those very flaws.

I love me for my butt. It's proportionally large and it jiggles and, dimples and all, I still love my body.

I love me for the way I write directions down on my arm and then can never find where I'm trying to go.

*Note: This does not mean that you should stop trying to improve or better yourself. It is just to say that you will never be perfect and it is some of your imperfections that make you who you are - and you are incredible.

#20 RULE OF ME-LOVE

Stop saying "... and then I'll be happy."

You need to learn to be happy in the current circumstances of which you live. We are all guilty of this.

I need to lose 10 lbs and then I'll be happy.

When I finish this project/deadline, then I'll be happy.

Once I get married, I'll be happy.

After I catch up on bills I'll be happy.
When I buy that car, then I'll be happy.

Try to take these phrases out of your vocabulary. There's always gonna be something. The goal is not to find someone or something to make us happy. The goal is to be as happy as possible as often as possible, period. Regardless or current relationship status, weight, finances, job, stressors, ETC.

#19 RULE OF ME-LOVE

Tell someone about your crush

In conversation, tell someone (who doesn't know you too well) about your new crush, without revealing that it's you. Tell  them how sweet and thoughtful this "guy" is. And how good looking and smart. It's a fun little exercise to hear yourself talk aloud about how great you are.

NEVER SETTLE

I LOVE THESE QUOTES! (BUT I LOVE ME MORE)

“To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.”
- Oscar Wilde

“Lend yourself to others, but give yourself to yourself.”
- Michel de Montaigne

“Your task is not to seek for Love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
- Rumi

“The love you seek is seeking you at this moment.”
- Deepak Chopra

#18 RULE OF ME-LOVE

Embrace loneliness

THIS IS YOUR LIFE

#17 RULE OF ME-LOVE

Beware comfort food

It is not uncommon to over-eat (or under-eat) when feeling lonely, bored and/or depressed. For some people (myself included), food is used as a comfort, because you are happy, if only for the moment, when you are eating. We are often trying to fill an emptiness that we feel within. Temporary "fullness" quickly turns into feeling poorly about ourselves, and more empty than before. Become aware of these habits. As much as possible, try to fill your spirit with things other than food - things that make you feel whole and complete in the long term. Of course, there is nothing wrong with treating yourself to a little soul food now and then. If you are going to splurge, make sure you indulge with guilt-free enthusiasm.

#16 RULE OF ME-LOVE

Dear Diary

Write a diary entry about yourself as though you were writing about your crush in junior high.

Dear diary,

Tori is sooo dreamy. She's really good looking, I love her blue eyes and how they fade to green in the middle. And she is so nice to everyone she meets, and I love the way she sticks up for people and doesn't stand for bullying. She's smart too, it seems like she's effortlessly brilliant, but I know she works really hard at what she does. And she's super funny and witty. I love the sound of her laugh. She gives me butterflies and I just feel so lucky to be her friend. I would be the luckiest person in the world if she liked me back.

DAILY AFFIRMATIONS

#15 RULE OF ME-LOVE

Be gentle with yourself

Having high standards is important, but don't hold yourself to the standard of perfection. Don't be so hard on yourself. In a partnership, it is important to show patience, acceptance and understanding. Usually the things that bother us about other people are really the things that we can't stand about ourselves. So give yourself a break. Ease up on the self-punishment and self-blame. Be tender.

#14 RULE OF ME-LOVE

Be true to yourself

The next time you catch yourself thinking of doing something vengeful or spiteful, promiscuous or fake, - ask yourself: Am I being true to me? We often engage in self-sabotaging behaviors or try to be something we're not. Make sure that your words and actions align with your beliefs, values and standards. Without this, we cannot have the self-worth and self-respect we claim to deserve. Be someone that you are proud to show off to the world.

I LOVE THESE QUOTES! (BUT I LOVE ME MORE)

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“People are crying up the rich and variegated plumage of the peacock, and he is himself blushing at the sight of his ugly feet.”
- Sa’Di

“Contentment, and indeed usefulness, comes as the infallible result of great acceptances, great humilities - of not trying to conform to some dramatized version of ourselves.”
- David Grayson

“Oh, I’m so inadequate. And I love myself!”
- Meg Ryan

FIGURE OUT WHO YOU ARE

#13 RULE OF ME-LOVE

Keep yourself satisfied in bed

Self explanatory.

#12 RULE OF ME-LOVE

Put a picture of you by your bed

1. Buy a frame at the dollar store.

2. Print out a picture that you like of yourself.

3. Write a handwritten note on it.

4. Look at it every morning and think how lucky you are to wake up next to such a babe and be you every day!

DESIDERATA

#11 RULE OF ME-LOVE

Stop being bored

Tough-love statement for the day:

If you're bored it's because you're boring.

Go be more interesting. Do something. Learn about anything. Have interests. Start conversations with strangers. Embarrass yourself. Laugh at yourself. Help someone and expect nothing in return. Volunteer. Listen. Dance. Cry. Paint. Create. Brainstorm. Donate blood. Introduce yourself to a neighbor. Get a new job. Walk in the rain.

If all else fails, try this hilarious website: 474 Things To Do When You're Bored