"What Is Self Love? " by Tracy H

     Oftentimes, unknowingly, we neglect ourselves because we tend to get too caught up in
our eventful daily lives. Our daily lives are composed of time with family, friends, and most
importantly, time with ourselves. Over the recent eventful weeks that have transcended before
my eyes, I have learned some of the most fascinating lessons that you simply can’t obtain from
reading a book or memorizing an equation. These past few weeks have not only taught me to
cherish every moment life grants me but, to love myself because my last breath could be any
second. Self-love can be expressed in a variety of ways, a few being a dedication to one’s goals,
practicing virtue, or even monetary goals if truly desired. Although society might view you as
narcissistic or even selfish, the decisions that make you content should be the decisions you
ultimately aspire to fulfill. 
     According to ancient Greek Philosopher, Aristotle, he states that “selfishness gives way
to self-love.” In other words, our actions that we carry out may be seen as “selfish”, however,
this selfishness is rather more noble than harmful. We can only give so much to the point
wherein return, we must dedicate a certain portion to ourselves to keep our sanity. If we
constantly are aiming to fulfill our personal goals, we will have a greater sense of passion to help
others in return. By sacrificing for yourself, it not only teaches you that sacrificing for your goals
is necessary but sacrificing to obtain your own goals in return can help others achieve theirs.
Sacrificing on both ends of the spectrum will not only bring you self love, but it will also bring
self-love to people who surround you. 
     Self-love can be quite confusing at times, but once you find out how to balance it and
maintain it, there is no stopping you. In stressful times like these, I dedicate one to two hours
each day to pray in my room for the health of my family and friends. As this might seem like a
selfless act, it brings me great joy because my actions will hopefully result in the prosperity of
others. Additionally, I also practice self-love by logging off to my social media, such as
Instagram and Twitter whenever I feel dispirited by the cruel expectations of our norms. This I
thought was the best way to practice self-love because it prevents me from self-destruction since
there are times that I couldn’t help but compare my life with others on social media. For me,
self-love is about accepting who we are as individuals even with our weaknesses or our
strengths. Hence, self-love is crucial for a happier and more fulfilled life.
     In closing, if we do not give ourselves self-love, it will be almost impossible to give it to
someone else when it truly matters. You must be fully content with yourself and have peace at
mind, to even scratch the surface of another’s. The journey towards self-love can be compared to
the myth of Sisyphus; it may seem like you will never accomplish your goal, but if put yourself
before others, you can have a greater impact than you could have ever imagined. 



Work Cited “From Selfishness to Self-Love According to Aristotle.” ​Exploring Your Mind ​ , 28 Apr. 2017, exploringyourmind.com/selfishness-self-love-according-aristotle/.