You are love. No matter what you have ever done, the purity of who you are remains. Everyone is the same. Everyone has the same big, beautiful light inside of them. This goes beyond what you’ve created in this lifetime, or any lifetime. It doesn’t matter what crimes you’ve committed, what greatness you’ve accomplished in uplifting the planet, how you perceive your life to be, or who you believe you are. Everyone is still exactly the same. You are all love, in equality, in every moment.

This means that you will never be — and never have been — forsaken in the eyes of God. This isn’t to say that it’s okay to make evil choices in your lifetime. What it does mean is that God loves you unconditionally. God loves every single person equally, regardless of who each person is and what deeds they’ve done in this lifetime — or any lifetime. Everyone is loved exactly the same, 100% of the time.

This is what everyone should strive for — to love everyone equally, including yourselves, regardless of circumstances or conditions. Strive to love everyone unconditionally. Remove yourself from acts of self-condemnation, self-hate, judgment, jealousy, pettiness, and instead choose love. Choose hope. Choose to be inspired. Choose to never be the one to condemn. If you do that, you’ll never have a need to forgive. After all, everything is forgivable. And, I do mean everything. Murder, rape, acts of hate. Everything. Give yourself the opportunity to be freed from the bindings that don’t allow you to forgive. Because you can, if you choose to.

This isn’t to say that I’m condoning bad choices. But, I am saying that the option is always there to redeem yourself from what you’ve done in your past, and to make new choices to create something beautiful moving forward.

Society has a way of quickly jumping on the bandwagon of judgment and self-hate at a dizzying pace. It is reminiscent of a swarm of locusts going in to feed on their prey. This act of attacking others, often caused by lack of accountability, is very damaging to the human psyche. And, if you are doing it to others, chances are, you are doing it to yourself.

Instead of following the crowd and blaming the world for all of your pain and suffering, delve into accountability and responsibility for your own actions. The minute you realize that you are the cause of your pain and suffering and take responsibility for it, you will have an opportunity to bring a new kind of freedom into your life, which may, someday, be pain-free.

This brings us full circle to self-love.There are many reasons why people find self-love challenging. The easiest way to begin your journey towards self-love is to start with self-awareness of how you are speaking to and treating yourself and others.

And then, strive to be the greatest version of yourself everyday. If you fall down one day, don’t condemn. Love yourself and treat yourself kindly during the process. Be in awareness of that process all of the time. Take responsibility for your life and your choices, and understand that in every situation, you are responsible for your part in it. Developing self-awareness in this way will begin to show you that you can make loving choices every day that can be greater than the day before.

Notice where you are avoiding being loving, being vulnerable, being authentic. Are you telling the people you love what they mean to you regularly? Are you avoiding a conversation with someone because it scares you? If so, why does it scare you? Develop an awareness of the choices you are making in your life, and notice how these choices are holding you back. Pay attention to people when they are talking to you, and stop only thinking about what you are about to say in the conversation. Realize where you are taking people for granted. If you died tomorrow, would you be okay with how you left things with the people in your life? Realize if you are being complacent, and change it.

This becomes easier to recognize as you continue to develop self-awareness. Become an expert on self-refinement. Refine your speech. Speak eloquently and gracefully. Make an effort to learn proper grammar. Write beautifully, and improve your skills. Keep your clothes and your body clean and healthy. Exercise. Eat healthy. Stay away from chemicals. Refine your human interactions, your interactions with nature, and your interactions with animals by making higher choices. Fall in love with the people around you more and more everyday, and don’t take them for granted. Recognize where you are being lazy and complacent in your interactions with people.

Don’t overthink it. Just be present and authentic. Live your life in love with everyone and everything and experience the joy, passion, and adventure that this brings. Fall in love with yourself so you can fall in love with the world. It will change how you see everything.

For more insights on self-love, mindfulness, and spiritual healing, sign up for my online self-development course or explore my in-person services in the Orange County area, including reiki, shamanic transmutation healing, energy healing, and more.