The Quiet Power of Self-Love

February. The month of love.

An obvious choice for an article topic, Groundbreaking, I know 😄

With Valentine’s Day everywhere you look,  flowers, hearts, chocolates, and carefully curated posts about romance. And while all of that is lovely, it got me thinking about a different kind of love. One we’re far less comfortable talking about, and even worse at practising. Self-love.

We give to others constantly. Every day, in big ways and small ones. We give to our children, our partners, our families, our teams, our businesses, our friends. We give our time, our energy, our emotional capacity. We are very good at showing up for everyone else.

But how often do we stop and ask ourselves: What do I think of me?

When you walk into a room, do you feel good about yourself? Do you feel confident and comfortable in your own skin? Or do you immediately look for the safest seat, hoping not to be noticed, wishing you could quietly blend into the wallpaper?

I was reminded of this so clearly yesterday when I spoke to a room full of the Mrs South Africa semi-finalists. I absolutely love working with these women. This platform is designed for married women, women who have already lived full lives of giving. They’ve given to their children, their husbands, their careers, their homes, their communities. They are the glue. The organisers. The supporters. The ones who hold it all together.

And now, for once, they are doing something for themselves.

Is it about the pageant? Not really.

Although, let me be honest, I do love the glitz, the glamour, and those gorgeous outfits. And yes, I am sadly over the entry age, otherwise I would absolutely enter myself… if only to wear all those fabulous gowns! 😉

But what I truly love has nothing to do with crowns or catwalks. It’s what happens internally. These women arrive as one version of themselves, often unsure, often playing small, often doubting whether they’re allowed to take up space anymore.

And they leave as someone else.

Someone who stands taller. Someone who believes in herself again. Someone who remembers that she matters.

They don’t leave louder,  they leave stronger. More grounded. More sure of who they are and what they bring into a room. And that shift? That’s self-love.

Self-love isn’t about ego or arrogance. It’s not about thinking you’re better than anyone else. It’s about knowing your worth without needing validation. It’s about treating yourself with the same kindness, patience, and respect you so freely give to everyone around you.

I always say this  and it sounds simple, but it’s powerful. Take your lipstick and write “I am enough” on your mirror. Read it every day. Even on the days you don’t believe it yet.

And for the men reading this,  write it on your fridge, your mirror, your desk, anywhere you’ll see it daily. Or borrow some lipstick if you like and write it on your mirror too… I won’t tell 😉

Because the way you speak to yourself matters. The stories you tell yourself matter. And the relationship you have with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship in your life.

So this February, while we’re celebrating love in all its forms, don’t forget the one that starts it all.

Love yourself. You are, and always have been, enough.

Much Love

Margaret Hirsch