The Story Behind Live Well With Lo: Change the World by Loving Yourself
/This is the very short-version of my journey into wellness and self-care. These ideas, stories, experiences, and so much more will be in my upcoming book coming soon…
Growing up, I was raised with the idea that I must put myself last in everything I do. Whether it was a goal, a dream, or an idea for dinner, I needed to put myself last in order to elevate other people. I grew up to be selfless in every aspect that I oftentimes would do things and not even realize that I was simply doing what I thought others would want me to do, not what I felt in my heart that I needed to do.
Self-Love has been such a foreign concept to me, it’s honestly hard for me to write about. I still believe that being selfless is such an amazing quality and I believe that selflessness is an important character trait to posses. That being said, I have learned that when you love yourself and make your well-being a priority, you can serve other’s in such a better capacity! I’ve learned that in order to serve others in a truly selfless way, you need to love yourself first.
When I lived my life based on other people’s opinions or desires, I never felt truly fulfilled. I felt like I was just going through the motions of life and I never felt inspired or motivated. I felt that having personal dreams and goals was selfish and so I opted to live small. I did what I felt I should do instead of what I felt called to do for the sake of selflessness. When you live your life like that, you aren’t truly benefitting anyone.
I believe that when you live into the calling and passion you feel on your life, you can serve others in a way you wouldn’t be able to otherwise. I also believe that this is true when it comes to self-care as well. I spent many years of my life going from obligation to obligation and keeping myself busy for the sake of being busy because I thought that if I spent all of my time serving others, I would be enough. I gave everyone else 100% of me and I gave myself 0%. That led me to a place where I was so run down that my body couldn’t take it anymore. I got really sick. I spent so many years of my life so stressed out and in service to others, my body just turned off. (I talk much more about this in my upcoming book.)
When I got sick, I was forced to take care of myself in a way I never had. There was no other option. I could either live how I was living and continue to get more sick, or I could change my lifestyle. I realized that I needed to put the oxygen mask on myself before I could continue helping others.
I learned a lot of lessons during that time but even though that season was dark and scary and full of bad days, I found myself in a new way. Since I was forced to slow down and say “no” to pretty much everything that was non-essential in my life, I realized past passions that had been tucked away. I dove headfirst into wellness and I haven’t looked back since.
When I started to feel better about a year later, I realized that I needed to shift my mindset and the priorities that I had carried with me for so long. I slowly began to re-shape my thinking until I truly believed that It is NOT selfish to take care of yourself. It is NOT selfish to make your well-being of utmost priority. I learned that nobody else is going to take care of you if you don’t take care of yourself.
As I started on this new journey to wellness and self-care, I began to see a passion stir up inside me. I knew that other people struggled with the same ideas on self-care that I used to have. I knew that other people were struggling and living on empty and I suddenly became extremely passionate about sharing my ideas on self-care and wellness with the world. That is how Live Well With Lo was created.
Since wellness and self-care is such a huge priority to me now, I have re-framed my thinking on the word “selfish”. Because of how I live my life now, I have been able to serve and love others in a way I never thought possible. I truly believe I am a better wife, friend, daughter, and business women because I make myself a priority and treat myself with the same love and respect I would give anyone else.
When you treat yourself like you would treat others, you begin to blossom in a way you never thought possible. When you take care of your mind, body, & soul, you are able to serve and love others in a way that comes from true love and joy. I truly believe that if we want to change the world, it starts with US. It starts with YOU. Put on your oxygen mask, girl, and don’t you ever ever be sorry for it!!!!
xo,
Lo
Why I made the switch to liquid collagen.