Why ME?

In case you’re wondering why the ME is in caps in my blog title, there are two reasons. One somewhat silly and rather sentimental reason is that my best friend sometimes calls me “Mother Earth.” I got into the habit of signing my correspondence to him simply with:

Love,

M.E.

But the real reason why the letters are in caps is slightly deeper than that. The main reason, bottom line, is that nobody else can make me happy. The only person who can make me happy, is ME. The only person who can give me confidence, inner strength, passion, integrity, good health, a big smile, a positive outlook, and what I really want out of life… is ME. And as you read this, ME is YOU.

The fact is that for a long, long time in my life, I came last on the list of priorities. I always had a good self esteem, and I always trusted myself and my instincts. I always got along with the woman in the mirror, and I always liked myself as well as loved myself. But in life, sometimes we tend to forget about ourselves. We take care of other people, we take care of business, we take care of responsibilities, and we find ourselves on the back burner. Not because we don’t think we’re worth the time and attention, but because there are only so many hours in a day, and so many days in a week. Before we know it, years slip by and one day we wake up and say “Hold on a second… what about ME???”

In my case, when that day came, I made major changes. (That’s a post for another day.) I believe with everything that I have and everything that I am, that we cannot love others unless we first love ourselves. I believe with everything I’ve got that we can’t take care of others unless we take care of ourselves first. Loving and respecting yourself is what gives you the strength to look at unhealthy situations and say “This is not right, and I’m walking away and not looking back.” It’s what gives you the strength to inflict “tough love” on the people in your life who need it. It’s what gives you the strength to follow through when you give someone your word, whether that word is “I’ll take you to the movies” or whether that word is “Do it again and you’re punished.” In other words, it’s what gives you what you need to stick to your guns.

Saying “ME” with strength and conviction when you speak of yourself isn’t arrogance. Saying “ME” with gusto when you speak of yourself is how you let yourself know that you are your own source of everything you need in life. And when you love you, then you are prepared to give love, and to accept love. It’s something that’s been said since the beginning of time, and it’s something that is faded and thin with age, having been said to death, but it’s the truth.

After any given tragedy, or drama, or heartbreak, or disaster, you will ask yourself:

Where am I ever going to find the strength to carry on?

And you must answer:

Inside ME.

It’s always there. Be strong. Be confident. Rely on yourself and take care of yourself. And always be kind to yourself. YOU are your own source of everything you need.

That’s The Power of ME.