Every entrepreneur should
Practice Self-Love
You probably know everything about social media, communication, conversion rates, marketing, etc. Right?
You took courses, studied, worked on it and it helped you to grow your business.
But do you also study How to Love Yourself No- Matter-What?
Have you built the genuine confidence and self-worth that makes a business grow, even when your launch didn't go as planned? Did anyone teach you how to feel worthy and enough in every circumstance?
Radical Self-love is the foundation of a successful business. An entrepreneur who loves and values herself All the Time is a true Force of Nature. She's having way more fun, dares to take more 'risks' and makes more money.
How do I know? Well, I teach this to my clients.
Did I Go to some Self-Love School? No! Did I Always Love Myself? No Freaking Way! I used the be the Mistress of Self Hate.
How to upgrade your self love as an entrepreneur and practice everyday
There are many things you can do to upgrade your self-love. But you can start with these 3:
1. Awareness once you see and hear how often you tell yourself that you're not worth it, that you can't do this because you are flawed, how often you say horrible things about your body, etc., you cannot go back.
2. Small Daily Actions like putting cream on your hand and look at your hands with soft and loving eyes, raise your prices (yes! that's self-love too) share a selfie and share how beautiful you feel.
3. Dream bigger Do you feel you only deserve 1,000 Euro while in reality you know you deserve 5,000 Euro? Go on do it. Dream bigger
How Radical Self-Love Changed my life
Somewhere in the late 1980s, my first depression found its way to me. It remained there for more than 10 years.
Crippling, soul-crushing blackness.
I was a fully functioning depressed person who didn't miss a single day of work.
My solution? No love in - No love out.
I hated myself. I always kept my eyes on the prize: More self-hate.
I had therapy, more therapy, more psychiatrists. It helped ... for like a couple of hours. * I am SO good at therapy. Seriously psychiatrists loved me. I basically analyzed myself.*
But it's all talk and NO feeling. My heart remained firmly closed.
So a couple of hours after a session, the inner asshole returned. Telling me I was fat, ugly, a loser, better of dead.
"Here is the prize for being the number 1 Most Unlovable person in the world."
It was a time when my mother told me that I was indeed very unlovable (nothing new to me), and very much NOT wanted (nothing new there). And that she wanted me out of her life (that was new).
I was hiding behind the couch or tried to find solace and comfort in things that ultimately never brought me lasting joy. Yep, sex, drugs, and rock & roll.
One day Oprah (yes, I know) told the world that you could visualize a friend in your heart. This action would help you to open your heart and to be more kind to yourself.
I was intrigued, it was such a novel concept to me. Was it possible to be kind to yourself?
But the only person in the world I could think of was my wonderful baby niece (I figured: she hadn't fully seen what a horrible person I was) BUT I just couldn't do it.
Because I was 100% certain my evil heart would crush her.
I shared this with my father. Who traveled almost every weekend from Groningen to Amsterdam to spend a couple of hours with me. Who let me rage, cry, be mad and incredibly confused about basically everything.
He traveled over 6 hours to hold space for his daughter who was unkind, ungrateful, and at times pretty mean to him.
My father said: "You can put me in your heart. It's okay. I can have it. I will be in your heart."
And that was when the shift happened.
The fact that there was a human being who was willing to live in my 'Horrible Heart of Horrors' and help me to ease the pain.
That one sentence changed my entire life.
It took me many more years to grow my self-love, to strengthen my self-esteem and build confidence.
It's what I teach entrepreneurs nowadays. Nourish Self-love, radical self-acceptance to grow your business and brand with confidence. To step into the world, with your heart and eyes wide open, owning who you are.
It doesn't come from books but from experience.
It's my father's legacy. And I couldn't be more grateful.
Thank you, papa Rudolf
I hope my personal story inspired you to always work on your self-love. Because you deserve everything you desire . So much!