Badassery Magazine January 2018 Issue 20 | Page 63

S
elf-Love. It’s something all
the life gurus are talking
about. It’s something we
are constantly seeing on social
media, on television and in our
favorite self-development books.
But really though, is self-love just
putting cucumbers on our eyes
and slapping some nail polish on
our toes, so we can feel fancy?
If you look it up in the dictio-
nary, the definition is vanity and
narcissism. Let’s face it there are
so many mixed up definitions of
what self-love truly is. So, guess
what bitches, it’s time that all
the badass women in this world
know what it is and how to prac-
tice it to build a fucking amazing
life.
What I have learned in this past
year about self-love, is that it
is taking back your power. It is
proving to the Universe that your
being and your life are import-
ant. It’s looking in the mirror and
giving yourself the gift of “No”. I
know that sounds a little harsh,
but it’s true. The power of “No”
can open so many doors for us a
business woman, a wife, a friend,
and a person in general.
Quick story, this past month I
picked up a night shift at a local
hospital because I enjoy helping
people and wanted to bring in
some extra cash flow. I had never
worked the night shift before, so
I thought that it would be fine
and dandy. I got through the
first week great. I hardly missed
a beat in my regular life. Then
came the second week. Did I
forget to mention that it’s the
middle of flu season and I am
working in a hospital? I woke up
one afternoon and felt like death.
My energy was depleted, my nose
was on fire and my stomach was
angry. My boss already wanted
me to go into work that night.
I took a step back from what I
was doing at that moment and
decided to give myself the gift
of “No”. I asked myself, “Tonya,
is this job really worth being
miserable for 8 hours? What’s
more important to you? This job
or yourself?”. Your damn right. I
chose my damn self. I said no to
depleting my energy. I said no to
doing something that my whole
being was literally crawling away
from. I gave myself some love
and it felt fucking amazing.
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