Our ability to connect with others is innate, wired into our nervous systems, and we need connection as much as we need physical nourishment.

When we constantly hear that we should be smarter, better connected, more productive, wealthier—it takes real courage to claim the time and space to follow the currents of our talents, our aspirations, and our hearts, which may lead in a very different direction.

It takes a special courage to challenge the rigid confines of our accustomed story. It’s not easy to radically alter our views about where happiness comes from but it’s eminently possible.

We truly can reconfigure how we see ourselves and reclaim the love for ourselves that we’re innately capable of.

Although love is often depicted as starry-eyed and sweet, love for the self is made of tougher stuff.

Cultivating loving kindness for ourselves is the foundation of real love for our friends and family, for new people we encounter in our daily lives, for all beings and for life itself.