I don’t claim to, nor have I ever believed I do, possess all of the answers — but I think it is absolutely essential to love others before you can love yourself.

For many of us, our early experiences with love comes from our parents, our caretakers and support system. Unfortunately, not all of us have a pleasant, love-filled upbringing and we have a void where love should have been.

Without the love of others, we never really learn how to love…and without that knowledge, how could we ever hope to love ourselves?