Hello and welcome to Uplifted Living, the podcast for Living Uplifted. I'm Nick Gilbert and I want to thank you for tuning in today. As a lifelong learner in the field of education, I aspire to acquire and share knowledge that inspires. So, I hope you're ready for today's episode. There's a moment in Tuesdays with Morrie that stays with you long after the book ends. Morrie, a beloved professor facing the end of his life sits across from Mitch Albom and with peaceful certainty says something like, "The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and to let it come in." Mitch pauses, and you could feel the weight of that truth because for many of us. Loving others comes naturally, but loving ourselves. That's where we hesitate today. We're exploring self-love, the kind that is tender, honest, and rooted in worthiness through Morrie's wisdom and the conversations that change millions of lives. Welcome to the episode, Learning to Love Yourself. Every Tuesday, Mitch sits with Morrie. They talk about things that we tend to avoid. Fear, meaning, regret, love. And in those conversations Morrie notices something Mitch is great at doing, but he struggles with being, he's ambitious, busy, successful on paper, yet disconnected from his own heart. One day more he says to him, you must let love in, not from accomplishment, not from productivity. From stillness, from being fully present with yourself. Morrie teaches Mitch and us that self-love isn't indulgent. It's the foundation for how we show up in the world. Because when we deny ourselves love, we start reaching for it in unhealthy places from achievement, perfectionism, or other people's approval. But when we accept love within ourselves first we stop performing and start living. Morrie loved openly, not because his life was perfect, but because he no longer had anything to hide behind, and that's the invitation of self-love. To finally let yourself be seen without the armor. Let's talk about what self-love actually looks like. Not the bubble bath version, not the Instagram quote version, the real version. Morrie believed that self-love is grounded in three truths. One, you are allowed to feel what you feel. When Mitch tries to hide his emotions more, he tells him. Embrace your emotions fully. That's how you let them go. Self-love begins when you stop judging your feelings and start listening to them. Number two, worthiness isn't earned; it's accepted. Morrie reminds Mitch that who we are, not what we do is what makes us lovable. Self-love says, my value is not measured in productivity. Number three, vulnerability is strength. Morrie cries openly. He laughs loudly. He says, I love you, without hesitation. He shows Mitch, choosing softness in a hard world is courage. So here's a question for you. If you stop striving and just sit with yourself, do you believe that who you are is enough? And here's a simple practice, one that Morrie modeled every single day, ask yourself, where am I withholding love from myself? You could journal this, write it down. Follow it up with a second question. What would loving myself in this moment look like? And an affirmation you can whisper and say to yourself each day, I am worthy of the love I give so freely to others. Let it land. Not in your mind, but in your body. Morrie once told Mitch. Love is the only rational act. At the end of life, Morrie didn't wish he'd worked more, achieved more, or acquired more. He wished we all knew how to love ourselves enough to slow down, to choose connection, to live wholeheartedly. Self-love isn't selfish. It's what allows us to give love freely without needing anything back. So this week, try this. Look at yourself in the mirror and say slowly and meaningfully, I am worthy of my own love. Not because of what you've done, not because of who loves you, because you are here, and that's enough. Thank you for spending this time with me today. May you learn to give out love and just as importantly, to let it come in. If you enjoyed this episode or found value in what we discussed, please consider liking subscribing, leaving a comment, or sharing this episode with someone who might benefit from it. And lastly, keep striving to learn and grow and make it a priority to uplift both yourself and those around you. Until next time, be gentle with yourself.