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www.i-am-magazine.com16What Is Self-Love?Self-love is natural inside all of us. Asbabies, we love, and we still love. It%u2019sonly the conditioned patterns that blockus from feeling what%u2019s natural.What Is Self-Acceptance?Self-acceptance is loving all of us. Thereare no %u201cgood%u201d or %u201cbad%u201d parts to us. We%u2019renot flawed, or %u201cimperfect%u201d. We%u2019re just us,and I believe expressing how wenaturally are, is the best thing we canexperience for us and the people aroundus.Self-acceptance does NOT meansurrendering to all your perceived flawsor thinking something is wrong with you.In fact, I believe the only thing wrongwith you is that you think there%u2019ssomething wrong with you.Breaking FreeWe can discover who we are by freeingourselves from societal expectations andembracing our true selves.It's essential to understand thedistinction between self-acceptance as ameans of self-improvement and thenegative associations it may have.Let's dive into the essence of self-loveand self-acceptance to nurture afulfilling and genuine sense of self.Breaking Free from ConditionedPatternsFrom a young age, society bombards uswith expectations, norms, and idealsthat dictate how we should behave andsee ourselves. These patterns make usbelieve that love and acceptance dependon meeting certain criteria or conformingto predetermined standards. However,the truth is that self-love already existswithin us, waiting to be rediscoveredonce we break free from these ingrainedpatterns.It's a profound realization that wedeserve love and acceptance just as weare, without relying on externalvalidation or achievements.