Love Yourself First

I recently came across a brilliant piece penned by Charlie Chaplin, who is highly considered the greatest comedic actor of all time. However he possessed a multitude of creative talents that was the foundation for his ultimate success.  He was an innovative, forward-thinking genius of his time and like most creative minded people, he was rooted in the profound.  A person of that magnitude must possess that style of thinking in order to bring to life the sort of character, comedic timing, powerful writings and scores that captured the hearts and minds of the public.  We all want to be swept away entertained, captivated, and impacted through our sensory perceptions, no matter the capacity.  Charlie Chaplin was that kind of genius, and his philosophical ways and provoking reflections give us a very feasible and applicable practice of thinking and living these some 58 years later.  When we begin to love ourselves, we step into our truth, and no one else can do it for us.

AS I BEGAN TO LOVE MYSELF by Charlie Chaplin

Composed for his 70th birthday, April 16, 1959

As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth, this is "AUTHENTICITY".

As I began to love myself I understood how much it can offend someone if I try to force my desires on this person, even though I

knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this person was me.  Today I call it "RESPECT". 

As I began to love myself I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow.  Today I call it "MATURITY".  

As I began to love myself I understood that at any circumstance, I am in the right place at the right time, and everything happens at

the exactly right moment. So I

could be calm.  Today I call it "SELF-CONFIDENCE". 

  

As I began to love myself I quit stealing my own time, and I stopped designing huge projects for the future.  Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in my own rhythm.  Today I call it "SIMPLICITY".  

As I began to love myself I freed myself of anything that is no good for my health - food, people, things, situations, and everything that

drew me down and away from

myself.  At first I called this attitude a healthy egoism.  Today I know it is "LOVE OF ONESELF". 

As I began to love myself I quit trying to always be right, and ever since I was wrong less of the time.  Today I discovered that is "MODESTY". 




As I began to love myself I

refused to go on living in the past and worrying about the future.  Now, I only live for the moment, where everything is happening.  Today, I live each day, day by day, and I call it "FULFILLMENT". 

As I began to love myself I recognized that my mind can disturb me and it can make me sick.  But as I connected it to my heart, my mind became a valuable ally.  Today I call this connection "WISDOM OF THE HEART". 


We no longer need to fear arguments, confrontations or any kind of problems with ourselves or others.  Even stars collide, and out of their crashing new worlds are born.  Today I know "THAT IS LIFE"!

Charlie Chaplin had a somewhat turbulent childhood, he was abandoned by his father, his mother had a mental illness that eventually had her placed in an insane asylum. However, his determination to make it in show business fed his passion to succeed, to rise above his past and make a living until his dream manifested.  He was a perfectionist, and today would most likely be diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder to a degree.  His personal and romantic life made headlines and many of the public could not embrace his controversial life away from the screen.  In addition, he was passionate about his opinions, wrongdoings he witnessed, and political injustices that had or were occurring.

Somewhere along the way, Chaplin realized one truth, a conclusion that we ALL must come to at some point in our lives, and that is that we should be our one true, first love.  As we do, everything and everyone falls into place as it should.

The sooner we learn the truths that he includes in his poem, the more likely we are to fall in love with ourselves and experience our greatest truth and our best life.  We must:

• Practice authenticity by living our truth and never compromising who we are
• Respect ourselves and one another by never putting our personal truth on someone else
• Seek growth and maturity through all our life experiences, good or bad
• Possess a sense of calm and self-confidence in all situations
• Find the path to simplicity through seeking out those things that bring us joy and peace
• Remove all things from our lives that keeps us from experiencing true love of oneself
• Realize that it's not necessary to be right as much as it is to be modest in nature
• Learn to release the past, not worry about the future and seek fulfillment in the present
• Connect more to our soul and less to our emotions for true wisdom of the heart
• Realize the best of times and the worst of times, that is life

Embrace your becoming moments......

love yourself first, and you will own your FABULOUS!