A word from Charlie
Charlie Chaplin wrote this poem about self-love, on his 70th birthday (April 16th 1959).
As I Begin to Love Myself
As I begin to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth. Today I know this as “AUTHENTICITY”.
As I begin to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody. As I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this person was me. Today I call this “RESPECT”.
As I begin to love myself I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow. Today I call it “MATURITY”.
As I begin to love myself I understood that at any circumstance, I am at the right place at the right time, and everything happens at exactly the right moment. So I could be calm. Today I call it “SELF-CONFIDENCE”.
As I begin to love myself I quit steeling my own time, and I stopped designing huge projects for the future. Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do, that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in my own rhythm. Today I call it “SIMPLICITY”.
As I begin to love myself I freed myself of anything that is no good for my health – food, people, things, situations, and everything that drew me down and away from myself. A first I called this attitude a healthy egoism. Today I know it is “LOVE OF ONESELF”.
As I begin to love myself I quit trying to always be right, and ever since I was wrong less of the time. Today I discovered this is “MODESTY”.
As I begin to love myself I refused to go on living in the past and worry about the future. Now, I only live for the moment, where EVERYTHING is happening. Today I live each day, day by day, and I call it “FULFILLMENT”.
As I begin to love myself I recognised my mind can disturb me and it can make me sick. But as I connected it to my heart, my mind became a valuable ally. Today I call this connection “WISDOM OF THE HEART”.
We no longer need to fear arguments, confrontations or any kind of problems with ourselves or others. Even stars collide, and out of their crashing new worlds are born. Today I know THAT IS “LIFE”.