Honesty used to scare me. Not the kind where you tell someone the truth about what you did, but the kind where you have to look yourself in the mirror and face the truth about who you are. That kind of honesty hits different — it’s raw, it’s uncomfortable, and it doesn’t come with applause. But over time, I’ve learned that without honesty, you can’t really have self-love.
See, for a long time, I thought self-love meant doing whatever made me feel better in the moment — sleeping in, avoiding hard conversations, numbing the pain. But that wasn’t love; that was escape. Real self-love is discipline. It’s holding yourself accountable and saying, “I deserve better — from myself.”
Honesty is the bridge that connects who you are to who you’re becoming. It’s admitting when you’re wrong, when you’re hurting, or when you’ve been your own worst enemy. And it’s forgiving yourself for those moments, too. Because truth without grace just becomes another weapon we use against ourselves.
These days, self-love for me looks like showing up — even when I don’t feel like it. It’s taking care of my body, keeping my faith strong, going to therapy, staying sober, and protecting my peace. It’s saying no when I need to. It’s saying yes to healing, even when it’s hard.
Honesty taught me that I’m still a work in progress — and that’s okay. Self-love reminds me that I’m still worthy, even when I stumble.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:
You can’t fully love yourself if you’re still lying to yourself. And you can’t be honest with yourself until you’re ready to love what you find — flaws and all.
So today, I choose honesty. I choose love. And I choose me.
By Josh Bridges
YOU {R} NOT ALONE YOU HAVE A VOICE! 