As I began to love myself.

I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth. Today, I know, this is authenticity. As I began to love myself, I understood how much it can offend somebody if I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it, even though this person was me. Today I call it “Respect.”

As I began to love myself, I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow. Today I call it “maturity.”