Over the years, I’ve beaten myself up over business breakdowns, lost relationships, and countless other failures. I would only look at what I’d done wrong and where I was at fault. And, of course, this would only make me feel worse.

People would tell me, “Rob, you need to love yourself.” Wow, that sounded great, but the problem was I didn’t know what that meant. I knew that they didn’t mean that I should be self-absorbed or narcissistic. I also knew it didn’t mean soothing myself with several shots of whiskey.

I understood how to love others—at least the feeling that made me want to give attention, caring, and respect to someone—but feeling that for myself? I was completely confused on where to even begin.

It took me years to learn, but I finally did, and I would like to share with you what I found. Here are 13 ways you can start loving yourself:

Acknowledge your gifts and talents. Whether you realize it or not, you have knowledge and skills that other people don’t have. Work with your strengths. Find ways to share these with others for fun and fortune.

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