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“I am the one I have been looking for.” –Iyanla Vanzant

We spend so much of our time waiting to be loved, hoping love will find us, searching, yearning for that special love. Feeling empty and lost without it. Wanting someone to give us love and fill us up. Unfortunately, that’s not usually how life works. You will draw to you exactly what you create in life, and what you believe you are worthy of. So loving yourself can create love in your life. When you expect love from an external source, and someone or something does not fulfill your void and fantasy's, then you will feel worse than before.

1. Be honest with yourself about how valuable you believe you are. The way you see yourself and treat yourself is the very way others will see you and treat you. Do you see yourself as valuable and worthy of the gift of love? Do you treat yourself lovingly and as a valuable being? And most importantly, do you treat OTHERS with love? That's the first step to feeling better about yourself. It’s ok to be truthful with yourself, though it may not be pretty! Awareness is the first and more powerful step on the path to change!
 

2. Start sharing. This is one of the most important steps you need to take. This may be the reason you are suffering and cannot feel love in your life. If you are serious about yourself and don't want to lose yourself, start sharing today. Share with others everything you have. Everybody has something to share. Share your happiness, sadness, money or things you use, and most importantly your knowledge. By sharing slowly and surely, you will start feeling worth for yourself and you will start loving yourself. Initially, you may feel that other people are taking advantage of you, but after a month of practice, you will see a change in yourself.
 

3. FORGIVE yourself if you ever believe you aren't worthy of love. After all, there were probably things in your childhood or previous years that created that belief for you. It SIMPLY IS NOT TRUE; every being on this planet is worthy of love, after all, love is what we are here for, it’s what it’s all about. Say to yourself now; “I forgive myself for believing that I was not worthy of love.” Go look in a mirror and say it out loud to yourself, look yourself right in the eyes and say it like you mean it.
 

4. Post this affirmation up someplace where you will see it each and every day; "I have the courage to believe that I am worthy of love." Read it out loud, every day, at least once, ideally at least ten times each time you notice it. Sticky notes are fabulous for affirmations.
 

5. Take action and make those words real. Begin loving and valuing yourself. It is said that you cannot give what you do not have. So, if you are not able to love and accept yourself unconditionally, how in the world are you going to love and accept anyone else unconditionally? Much less accept that love in return from them?
 

6. Learn to let go. There are a lot of people out there that have had hard lives/bad beginnings or moments. A lot of people close up on themselves out of grief or fear and have a hard time opening back up. It is important to let go of all the pain that is still inside of you from that bad experience. This is often the hardest part of the journey, but once you've done it, you will really benefit from it.
 

7. Remember that love is not a feeling, it is a choice! Make the choice to love yourself and the feeling will come. After all, who deserves it more? The more loving you are to yourself, the more loving you will be able to be to everyone around you. Family and friends will especially benefit from this. Make a choice to come from a place of love for yourself and for everyone who is important in your life.
 

8. Think about what you need to fill that emptiness inside, that place that is longing for love. What specifically are you lacking? Find the answer and then give it to yourself. No one is more capable of loving you, and giving you exactly what you need than you are! When you learn how to fulfill yourself in that way, you stop searching for it outside of yourself and you suddenly begin attracting it to you. You change yourself from a sponge to a magnet! People see you radiating self love and they are drawn to you.
 

9. Keep a journal. Write about your experiences, good and bad. When you write down your good experiences allow yourself to feel those good feelings again. When you remember the bad experiences, allow yourself to feel pride. Pride because you faced a challenge in your life and you are here today to write about it, which must mean you are a survivor and a fighter. Tell yourself, "I know pain, but I have yet to be introduced to surrender." Keep on keeping on.
 

10. Get in Tune with Yourself. Music reminds us of who we really are.
 

11. Do 3 things a day, to change yourself into your dream person If it is gaining or losing weight, then take a step by dancing for 20 minutes. If you want to ace your midterms, study harder. If you need to become more organized and stop procrastinating then start cleaning and maintaining a place for every single item. Do what is on your to do list by scheduling yourself. Those are examples of 3 things to do in one day, to further a goal of someone becoming more fit, working towards a great career and gaining the mental clarity from the liberation of clutter! Achieving your goals, can make you love yourself much more because you are building a foundation of your own life and character. That is very attractive and will make you more valuable! Motivation? Happiness, success and hopefully, inner peace. Grab a hobby, finish or start education. The brand new you will arrive. Success is the best revenge!
 

12. Hug yourself. I suggest that you don't do this too much, or people will just think you're creepy.

Tips

¨ Well this is something that I think is useful, remember that you are only human because sometimes we feel like outcasts or weirdos but that is just something that makes you unique and to be human is to be imperfect.
 

¨ Here's something to try saying every day. Place it on your mirror. It always helps: "Look in the mirror and what do I see? A handsome boy staring back at me!" "Oh wow!" I thought. Who could that be? [smile and say] "Oh! It's most definitely me!"
 

¨ Keep a list of the things you love about yourself or things you've done that if you saw someone else do them, you would love them. For instance, if you scored more in basketball, write it down, then eventually you can build up more pros, to help you know why to love yourself (if you're analytical).
 

¨ Practice Metta meditation. It will help you love yourself and others more.
 

¨ Just don't become vain,vanity is not loving yourself.
 

¨ Do what you enjoy. Go out anywhere, or with anyone. Or stay at home, prepare yourself a nice meal and settle down with a good book in front of a cozy fire. Make yourself happy.
 

¨ Every time you feel a negative emotion, pause and feel it, then thank yourself for feeling it. Emotions are nothing more than an experience which contributes to who we are. Accepting negative things as good things in another perspective can yield great results.
 

¨ Mirrors will be your friend in this process. Seeing yourself as lovely and worthy of love is extremely important. Pick a favorite characteristic about yourself, and determine what exactly you don't like about yourself. Then proceed to fix these imperfections.
 

¨ Never EVER EVER EVER expect to be like someone else 100%. Use your life to build a mysterious and appealing YOU. Not a remake of someone else which turns people away. Write a diary of your exciting and unique life!
 

¨ Listen carefully to the messages you are sending for yourself. Turn off negative messages or turn them into a positive messages.
 

¨ Treat yourself like the most loving parent would
 

¨ Visit the free online guide 'The Art Of Loving Yourself' http://lovingyourself.wordpress.com/

Warnings

¨ Loving oneself is different from self-adoration or narcissism, which are negative and a huge turn off to others as they involve placing oneself above others.

¨ Loving yourself does not mean grabbing all of the attention and becoming selfish. It is actually a golden confidence that whispers, I know when it is my time to shine and I can become selfless

From: http://www.wikihow.com/Love-Yourself