Value yourself and then others.

It is both more difficult and of the highest importance that you fully accept yourself as you are, being willing to allow yourself to grow forward without judgment, without impatience. You are evolving; you are in the process of growth. You are becoming as you are meant to become. There is no timetable; there is only a goal. Freeing yourself of a timetable or a sense of what you feel you must be at this moment, you are then ready to accept who you are and where you are. It is the most difficult stage, the most difficult challenge that you face in human form, for out of that self-love, that self-respect, that unconditional acceptance of self grows the capacity of accepting and loving others, of achieving accepting and loving relationships. Without a firm sense of your own worthiness, your own value, you cannot fully accept the value of another human being. First comes the self, and then comes the reach outward.

This setting of priorities—self and then others--does not mean that you must be fully self-aware before you can hope to reach outward. A battery that’s being charged is still capable of being functional. It is not necessary that the battery be fully charged before it can be used. It is the same with your sense of self-acceptance. You do not wait until you are fully aware and accepting of yourself before you are able to foster and encourage and engage in positive relationships with others. It is an ongoing and interrelated process.