I celebrate myself, and sing myself. ~Walt Whitman

Today's guest post is by Phil Bolsta, author of the blog: "Triumph of the Spirit: Finding Peace and Purpose in a Chaotic World", and the book, "Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything".

Phil weighs in with his thoughts about this month's theme of self-love:

A life of service is a noble goal, but devoting every moment to serving others is neither advisable nor possible. You must choose love for yourself as well as others by engaging in enlightened self-care—proper diet, exercise, sleep, and other healthful activities.

If you do not care for your own body, mind, and spirit, you will not be capable of authentically caring for others. Worse, you may be co-creating an environment in which others expect your service and take you for granted.

If you lean more toward self-loathing than self-love, consider how you feel about your friends. You love them even though, like you, they are imperfect, have hurt others, and regret past actions.

If you can unconditionally love your friends despite their flaws, you can learn to extend the same kindness toward yourself.

Ultimately, loving yourself allows you to love others, God, and life itself in ways that someone with low self-esteem cannot begin to comprehend.

Thank you, Phil... and please, readers, stop by his blog and check out his other posts...great stuff!