Upside-Down Wisdom #17: Love and Worthiness
“You have to love yourself first.”
“You have to love yourself first.”
Ah yes, the classic prerequisite.
Before anyone else can love you, you must first complete the following checklist:
Love yourself
Heal your inner child
Make peace with your reflection
Light a candle and forgive yourself for your awful sixth-grade haircut.
But here’s the thing:
That’s upside-down.
Love isn’t a diploma you earn after passing the Self-Esteem Exam.
It’s not locked behind a wall of personal development.
Love doesn’t care how many affirmations you’ve done.
It doesn’t wait until you “fully believe you deserve it.”
It’s already here—under the noise of your self-judgment.
You don’t have to love yourself first.
You just have to stop falling for the idea that you’re not already lovable.
You’re not a fixer-upper.
You’re not on layaway until further emotional notice.
You’re human. And love fits you just fine.
Here’s today’s Upside-Down Wisdom:
You don’t have to love yourself first—love is not a DIY project.
This is Upside-Down Wisdom—a series where we flip the script on the conventional "wisdom" we've been taught. If you would like to read other posts in this series, please visit the Upside-Down Wisdom page.