Love. #StyledByMarina

“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” – Mark Twain

Greetings, beautiful readers. First off, I'd like to express how intrigued and amazed by all of your lovely and inspirational comments on my last post - The Art of Solitude. I'm ever so grateful to everyone that shared their insightful thoughts, opinions and personal experience on my articles.

So today,  I'd like to take this opportunity to talk about the importance of love, more specifically, self-love. The ability to accept and love yourself for who you are.

♥

We fall fiercely in love and pour our hearts out.
We do some much for others approval and affection,
we sometimes let their judgments define us.
We invest so much in other people, but rarely in ourselves.
We long companionships and seek the sense of security in others.

But for what?
Have we ever stopped and taken care of ourselves along the way?

I decided to write this post because I noticed just how many people around me are living for others rather than themselves, including me. It doesn't matter if you are in a relationship, in a workplace or even in a family. Have you ever realized that you'd move mountains and go the extra miles to reach certain people's expectations to the point that you are physically and mentally drained?

The truth is you are not happy, and you haven't been for a while.

We live in a society that we often have to compromise in order to survive.
We are constantly sacrificing our creativity and ideas just to be considered as an exemplary and obedient human being.
We are told not to speak our minds and do what was told.
We are asked not to stand out and better to just blend in.

There are way too many judgments in this world and not enough compliments.
Just like there are too much jealousy and so little appreciation.

So for this blog post, I've collected several inspiring self-esteem and self-love quotes for all of you(and myself.) When you find yourself feeling down, insecure or lost, or when you feel like you need a little boost of confidence, here's a little reminder:

It's okay to be a little selfish because you deserve it.
You are worth it and you are good enough.
Start living for yourself instead of others.
❥
It will make a whole lot of sense when you finally understand that feeling confident with your inner-self and outside appearance is not a crime.
Being self-confident is NOT being conceited.
And if no one has said this to you today: Remember, you are beautiful and one-of-a-kind.

“When I loved myself enough, I began leaving whatever wasn’t healthy. This meant people, jobs, my own beliefs, and habits – anything that kept me small. My judgment called it disloyal. Now I see it as self-loving.” – Kim McMillen

“To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance” – Oscar Wilde

 “If you aren’t good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you’ll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren’t even giving to yourself.” – Barbara De Angelis

“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I think everybody’s weird. We should all celebrate our individuality and not be embarrassed or ashamed of it.” – Johnny Depp 

  “A healthy self-love means we have no compulsion to justify to ourselves or others why we take vacations, why we sleep late, why we buy new shoes, why we spoil ourselves from time to time. We feel comfortable doing things which add quality and beauty to life.” – Andrew Matthews

“You’re always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company.” – Diane Von Furstenberg

“You are very powerful, provided you know how powerful you are.” – Yogi Bhajan

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Washington Thurman

“The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours – it is an amazing journey – and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.” – Bob Moawad

On a side note, I'm Wearing:

Long Sleeve, Mock Neck Mesh Top - NET

Velvet Floral Print Maxi Dress - GU JAPAN

Fluffy Loafers - GU JAPAN