Every moment we put into being kind to and increasing our regard for ourselves is a step we take towards world peace. Every time we act and speak in self-love (like, for example, NOT saying, "I'm an idiot," even in jest), but call ourselves "sweetie" adds more kindness to the world. 

Self-love includes working on other things like conflict resolution, and learning to love ourselves is the only way we learn how to best care for others.

Self-love includes working on attaining and maintaining a sense of inner peace, calmness and contentment regardless of our outer circumstances and surroundings.

When we have inner peace and calmness we can help create and maintain peace and calmness with others.

When we have inner conflict and unrest we have conflict and unrest with others.

If we do not have the inner peace that comes with focused, daily efforts at self-love, we cannot create and maintain peace with others.

Self-love includes doing things like:

* Treating yourself sweetly, gently, kindly, and generously, as you would a dear friend, relative, pet, or lover.

* Parenting yourself as you would like to have been parented

* Daily doing hokey, embarrassing things like saying "I love you, I really really love you" in front of the mirror and (gasp!) hugging yourself as you say it.

* Learning from self-love/self-care authors like Louise Hay (whose mirror affirmation I quoted above) and Cheryl Richardson through books, audios, and YouTube videos.

As you progress in these efforts, you will see how they add peace to your everyday life, and this is how we make a peace in the world: Each one of us, where we stand right now, one relationship at a time.

Cassendre Xavier is a $15,000 Leeway Transformation Award-winning self-described “multi-media healing artist” who writes, records music and guided meditations, and creates community cultural arts events. She has written for Wisdom Magazine’s webzine since 2009. Visit her storefront of recordings, and books of poetry and inspiring essays at http://cassEndrExavier.wordpress.com