How to Strengthen Self Love through Song

The most important person you will ever love is NOT your partner. Sing your way to more confidence and give yourself the gift of self love.

It was 1993, and I was dressed in a beautiful dark green formal dress. This was my first major dance in 9th grade. Boy II Men were working their magic in the cafeteria, and my friends were giggling nervously at the cute guys on the other side of the room.

The cute guys who barely brushed their hair on the daily, much less work sharp suits and manly cologne.

I saw a big problem, though. None of those cute boys were showing any sign of leaving their wallflower status while they eyed the beautiful girls on the other side of the room.

So, I took charge.

I walked over to the other side of the room, and asked EVERY SINGLE BOY in my 9th grade class to dance. And, I kept asking. All night long.

If you are new to me, you probably didn’t know that I was morbidly obese in junior high and high school. I was easily the largest girl in my class, if not the entire school. I had yet to be kissed, or even given a hug from a member of the opposite sex. Unless you counted my cousins.

The funny thing is- almost NONE of those boys at my dance refused! Imagine that- boys who wouldn’t look at me twice were suddenly choosing to dance with me. I’m not saying I got a boyfriend out of this escapade.

What I did get was a boost to my self-esteem. After all, dancing was one of my biggest pleasures in life, and dancing with a boy was something my friends only talked about. And, here I was, dancing all night long!

(By the way, crossing the room encouraged some of those boys to ask some of the other girls to dance. You could say I led the dance. Not in a movie type of way.)

As we approach Valentines’s Day, you may be feeling less than lovely. Or, perhaps you are feeling a bit lonely.

No more! Let my story inspire you to dare to try something you’ve never done. Your relationship with yourself is the most important one you will ever have. It’s time to show yourself some self love.

And, since music soothes the savage beast in all of us, let these songs sweep you off your feet.

[bctt tweet=”Sing your way to stronger self love with these inspiring and empowering songs. @uncustomarylove” username=”jegoswam”]

Hey, you may even decide to dance all night, too. 

I love Natasha Bedingfield’s “Pocketful of Sunshine”, and the song, “Freckles”, is a great way to celebrate your own uniqueness.

 

I found this song on from Uncustomary Love. I had never heard Kerrie Roberts before, yet her voice is beautiful. The message is even more so.

 

Known for bringing the “Party Rock”, LMFAO always brings a smile to not just my face, but also my daughter’s faces. And, they just inspire you to move 🙂 By the way, you don’t have to go all beast mode in the gym to strut your sexy stuff.

 

I would be silly not to include this song by Sara Bareilles. This was a call to be your bravest self, and many of my best friends were happy to answer the call.

 

 

There is something about Ke$ha that I appreciate. Maybe it’s her straight up honesty about the struggles in her life. Or, her no-holds barred approach to living life on her terms. Either way, join her in being “who you r”.

 

When is the last time someone called you beautiful? Well, wait no more. Christina Aguilera is here to tell you today!

 

 

TLC was the premiere women’s group of their time, with songs like “Waterfalls” and “No Scrubs”. Yet, this song is the one that really resonated with me. No matter how confident you are, we all have days when we feel less than pretty. Get nostalgic with this TLC classic.

 

 

I can hardly include a song from Christina without including one from her arch-nemesis, Britney Spears! Though she has had her ups and downs in life (who hasn’t?), I admire her as the true come-back kid. It is often our pain that makes us “Stronger.”

 

 

Girls are not the only ones who can make you feel worthy of self love. Let Bruno Mars celebrate you “Just the Way you Are”.

 

 

Black-Eyed Peas had a number of hits, but Fergie’s solo album was the only one I actually listened to regularly. She is not afraid to set the record straight when it comes to who she is, and what she’s about. Plus, she coined a darn word after her own name. If you ask me, that’s bad- A$$!

 

 

When Seal married Heidi Klum, I fell a little bit in love with their interracial relationship. Being an interracial married woman, I considered it a good sign to see more celebrities embracing each other’s unique beauty. Seal’s voice is like chocolate to me, and who doesn’t want to hear him serenade his wife at the Victoria’s Secret show with this ditty?

 

 

When I was in high school, my friends and I would “cruize the loop” at Lake Michigan for hours at night pumping up our favorite tunes and checking out the guy action. OK, no more cruizing, either by the lake or for cute guys, but I can still jam out. I DARE you not to enjoy Smashmouth’s “All Star”!

 

 

Whitney Houston was iconic. And, she found the “Greatest Love of All”. Need I say more?

 

Honorable mentions

I reached out to my favorite Facebook communities to ask them what songs they listened to when they needed a boost, and here is what they shared!:

• “Street Fighting Man” – Rolling Stones
• “What Love is This” – Kari Jobe
• “Be Kind to Yourself” – Andrew Peterson
• “Video”- India Arie
• “Caribbean Blue” – Enya
• “You Raise me Up” – Saleh
• “I’m Every Woman”- Chaka Khan
• “Home”- Philip Phillips
• “Can’t Stop the Feeling”- Justin Timberlake

 

Learning to love yourself is a process, and it might take more than some songs to lift you up. If that describes you, then I urge you to consider joining my FREE challenge, 5 Days to Body Bliss.

In this challenge, you work on improving how you feel about yourself, and get confident with a health strategy that strengthens your resolve and belief in your own personal power.

And, you can still dance all night long (maybe even in public 🙂

Join the 5 Days to Body Bliss challenge (or click the picture).