A WOMAN’S SPIRIT #essentialsofrecovery

I had always thought self-esteem was a state of being. Now I realize it’s the constant decision to love myself, regardless of circumstances, all day long.

~ Mary Casey ~

What does it mean to love ourselves all day long? It means loving ourselves even when we feel shame for having yelled at a friend. It means loving ourselves even when we secretly wish harm on another. It means continuing to love ourselves even when we let opportunities to do something good for other people slip by.

There will be days when we need to make the conscious decision to love ourselves moment by moment. We will never be perfect, but we can be better people than we were in the past. We are making progress. A brief personal inventory will reflect this: perhaps we are learning to think before we act; perhaps we are treating friends or even strangers less critically; perhaps we are seeing the benefits of loving others unconditionally.

In time we will realize the gains we have made. We will see that it is possible to love ourselves fully, even though we have not become perfect.

I will love my every attempt to be kind and thoughtful today. I will forgive each of my failures.

© 1994 by Hazelden Foundation

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