January is Self-love month. And if it weren’t, I, Queen Mama Donna, would declare it so! So for the rest of the month I will focus on the ways that we can show love and support to ourselves.

There is only one person who is absolutely guaranteed to be with you loyally every day until you die. So you might as well live her! Will you join me in showering your Self with love starting right now?

Everything worth having costs something, and the price of true love is self-knowledge. Becoming acquainted with yourself is a price well worth paying for the love that will really address your needs.

- Daphne Rose Kingma

Loving yourself…does not mean being self-absorbed or narcissistic, or disregarding others. Rather it means welcoming yourself as the most honored guest in your own heart, a guest worthy of respect, a lovable companion.

- Margo Anand

Life is swift and precious while it’s in our grasp. Loving yourself is such a small act of appreciation for the everlasting Love that breathed you into being and on whose wings you will be carried when it’s time to leave this life.

- Paula Reeves

It’s not your job to like me – it’s mine.

- Byron Katie

Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go much further than people with vastly superior talent.

- Sophia Loren

I don’t like myself, I’m crazy about myself.

- Mae West

Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.

- Lucille Ball

Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

- Veronica A. Shoffstall

Do you want to meet the love of your life? Look in the mirror.

- Byron Katie

If you aren’t good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you’ll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren’t even giving to yourself.

- Barbara De Angelis

The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others.

- Sonya Friedman

Love yourself instead of abusing yourself.

- Karolina Kurkova

To tell the truth is to become beautiful, to begin to love yourself, value yourself. And that’s political, in its most profound way.

- June Jordan

If you can learn to love yourself and all the flaws, you can love other people so much better. And that makes you so happy.

- Kristin Chenoweth

“We must not allow other people’s limited perceptions to define us”

“Love yourself first and everything falls into line.”

- Lucille Ball

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Donna Henes is the author of The Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife. She is the Midlife Midwife™ offering counseling and upbeat, practical and ceremonial guidance for individual women and groups who want to enjoy the fruits of an enriching, influential, purposeful, passionate, and powerful maturity. Consult the MIDLIFE MIDWIFE™

The Queen welcomes questions concerning all issues of interest to women in their mature years. Send your inquiries to thequeenofmyself@aol.com.