A way to cut through self-loathing
Use this phrase when you’ve entered the toilet vortex
Self-love may be one of the ultimate clichés. It’s tempting to write the concept off as a bubble bath of self-indulgence, but that’s a misunderstanding. Properly understood, it’s a game-changing skill. It can rescue you from self-criticism—which you may think is a form of motivation, but actually serves to reduce your focus, creativity, and resilience.
One of the smartest thinkers on the subject is an author named Sonya Renee Taylor. She argues that self-love is our natural condition. Babies, she says, don’t enter the world criticizing their thighs. They learn to do that via our toxic culture.
Next time you notice yourself in a toilet vortex of self-recrimination, bring to mind this slogan from Sonya:
This isn’t my voice. It’s the voice of the system.
The system wants you to feel like shit, because that keeps you scrolling and buying—stuck in a blind pursuit of dopamine instead of resting in genuine contentment.
You can watch or hear Sonya on my podcast today.
Below, paid subscribers get a cheatsheet of today’s podcast, which includes key takeaways, time-stamped highlights, and a full transcript. Paid subscribers can also join the chat, comment on posts, participate in monthly live AMAs, and more.
Episode cheatsheet
The big takeaway
Sonya Renee Taylor shares her philosophy of radical self-love as a path to personal and societal transformation. She explains how cultivating radical self-love can help us overcome body shame, challenge oppressive systems, and live more authentically.
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