The Secret Ingredient to True Happiness

‘Love is what binds us, respect is what unites us. To have love and respect for all life forms guarantees you an excellent quality of life because you will be walking around in sheer reverence to all you come across. There will never be a dull or uninspired moment.'

You want to know what that tangy little secret ingredient is, right? You clicked on this article because you’re itching to find out if you own this substance — if it's hiding in your pantry waiting to be shaken in to the soup of existence. You want that brilliant and fulfilling life, don’t you?

Well then, you may initially be disappointed to know that the secret is not going to be found in:

great looks (sorry…pouting for the next Instagram selfie just ain't going to bring you lasting satisfaction),
money (money can't buy you love — thanks Mr Lennon/McCartney for those words of wisdom),
stardom (celebrity is as celebrity does…you can have fame and be happy — if you possess the ingredient — but fame itself is barren without it),
recognition (it's nice to be ‘noticed' for your achievements but that still won't fill the void).

While all the above attributes may bring temporary satisfaction, none of them will necessarily contribute to lasting joy.

That can only be found in one tasty ingredient.

But first let's examine what could bring this entire planet into alignment (metaphysically speaking, that is).

What We Can Do NOW to Expedite Love in the World

In Lak'ech Ala K'in is a Mayan saying that simply translated means ‘I am another you‘ or ‘I am you, you are me‘.

This principle begs us to treat each other with appreciation — it asks us to see our sisters/brothers from other mothers as our own kin. It implores us to love all the children of the world as if they emerged from your own womb/seed. We need to rekindle the spark that respects everyone and everything's right to life and a reverence for existence.

When you are able to love yourself (not to be mistaken with narcissism or selfishness), you naturally begin to love and respect others as well as every other form of life you encounter — including inanimate objects.

Huh?

Everything on this planet has a presence, from the rocks, plants and animals to the soil, worms and the very core of the earth itself.

Imagine a world where everyone had the exact same amount of love and respect for EVERY life form as they do for their own self (assuming that you have mastered the ability of self-love, that is).

‘Self-love is the source of all our other loves.' — Pierre Corneille

But now we're encroaching on the nitty-gritty…the ingredient!

Stocking Your Pantry With…*Drumroll*…

The secret ingredient, self love.

‘Respect yourself and others will respect you.' — Confucius

You can't possibly expect other people to love you if you don't love yourself. It may appear as if people love you but if you harbor resentment, self-hate or any kind of negative emotion towards yourself, you're setting yourself up for huge pitfalls in all your other relationships.

I've heard people say that they can't love themselves because of all their ‘imperfections'.

Just the word ‘imperfect' states that I'm perfect.

You've got to learn to love all the ‘I'm Perfects' in yourself. I'm not talking about empty affirmations, I'm talking about getting down deep and dirty and dusting out all the corners of your self. Ask yourself:

What is it I don't like about myself?
Can I do anything about it?
If yes, am I willing to change and start loving myself through the process?
If not, can I learn to love the way I am instead of the way I think I ought to be?
Is it society/family/friends/religion that prevents me from accepting myself?
If none of the above existed would I feel happy with who I am?

‘Know Thyself.' — Greek Proverb

You've got to mine yourself for these answers. Whatever you come up with, then ask yourself:

If this trait was in someone else (preferably someone you love — like your partner/child/favorite celebrity) would you still love them?

The answer, in my experience, is usually an emphatic ‘Yes!'. So, why don't we give ourselves the same leeway?

Related article: Why Being Weird is Unusually Cool!

IMHO…Weird is Wonderful!

If you don't love yourself for:

something you've done in the past then try to make amends for it and/or forgive yourself. If you find it difficult to forgive others then you may find that it's because you are not forgiving yourself for something. If you find it easy to forgive others but not yourself, you need to question why you think you're not worth it. Every single person is a creation of Source and, yes, that includes you! You need to embrace the inner divinity that is craving your love.
the way you look then try to remember that the most intriguing people are beautiful despite not having ‘model' looks (beauty is in the eye of the beholder and in having moxy!). Sometimes what we consider hideous others consider unique and beguiling. Your personality and integrity is what is most attractive. Get the inside right and the outside will glow — even if you don't look like J-Lo.
certain traits that you feel you can't change. Remember that you can completely turn your life around if you think you can. If you feel you can't change your actions or ways, you're wrong. When you are aware of something within you that needs to be worked on, you can do or change anything! But remember to love yourself through the process.

Self love will change the world as we know it. Everything I've studied to date with regards to the human condition and self development has always led me back to self love. Without it we are lost. With it we are whole. With it, we can change the world.

I love you, you are worth it!

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

To date, she has published 3 self-help and motivational books and brings out weekly inspirational blogs at her site www.cherieroedirksen.com. Get stuck into finding your passion, purpose and joy by downloading some of those books gratis when you click HERE.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook(The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

This article (The Secret Ingredient to True Happiness) was originally written for and published by Conscious Life News and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author Cherie Roe Dirksen and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons statement.