Happy February - Love Yourself

Hello, Smiling Faces!Happy February! Where did January go? I mean...it is gonneeee! I must admit that the start of January was a little rocky for me, but I kept pressing and moving along.  February is here and it’s truly the month of love and Black History Month. Black History Month honors the contributions of African Americans in history. It’s an annual celebration of achievements, history and success.Valentines’s Day is around the corner and the color red will be in full force, as love is blossoming in the air. Some of you may be single or feeling the effects of loneliness, but don’t allow for that to make you sad on Valentine’s Day or any other day. Go out and love on YOU! Buy yourself a bouquet of roses or treat yourself to dinner. Let’s dig a little deeper and love ourselves more. Yes, loving yourself and making YOU a priority! It’s not selfish to love ourselves. Having a deeper appreciation to loving you, allows for you to love others.Unfortunately, we often feel we have to lose the weight, get that dream job or be in that happy relationship, but I challenge you to start loving YOU, right where you are. Take a look at what may be hindering you from loving you. When we look to things or people to make us happy, we are setting ourselves up for a lot of disappointment.Here are a few ways to loving yourself more:

1. Be positive. We all are guilty in allowing the negative bug to enter our lives. Focus on being positive.
2. Encourage yourself. Look in the mirror and affirm your greatness. Empower yourself with encouraging words and affirmations.
3. Forgive yourself. We all make mistakes and just maybe you haven’t allowed yourself to be forgiven. Don’t keep repeating past mistakes or failures in your head. Let it go and LIVE!
4. Exercise. Exercise is a great way to release stress and build your self-motivation. I am truly enjoying kickboxing and feeling great!
5. Practice gratitude. Be grateful.  Do you journal? If not, start today. Journaling is a perfect way for you to write down your thoughts and feelings. I will be hosting a repeat course of Journaling 101 very soon.

Well, it’s the start of a new month. Let’s kick ourselves in gear and make February an awesome month!Always SMILE...Sherill