It Starts Here // Spoken Word

Start here.

Yup, that’s what this video is about.

Before you go out and try to …

change the world …

pursue happiness …

or enter a relationship.

Start here.

Because doing this one thing first … changes everything.

I hope you get inspired by my first Spoken Word Poetry video.

If you were to look at yourself in a mirror right now, what would you see?

Too fat. Too skinny. Ears are too big. Or your eyes too small.

Little things you hate about yourself … or maybe you don’t like yourself all. I don’t know

Now if you were to look directly into your eyes in a mirror right now, what would you feel?

Pain? Fear? Guilt? Shame?

Things you don’t like talking about yet they already have a name. It’s rising.

Now let me be straight up with you real quick. And I want you to be completely honest, too. You ready?

Do you love yourself?

I ain’t talking about bein’ all cocky and boastful about havin’ it made.

I’m talkin’ about feeling worthy enough and accepting yourself no matter how many mistakes you’ve made.

Vision.

Sure, there can be times in life when all the clicks and likes and views really seem to flatter. But when you think about it, though, you can have all the health, wealth and success in the world-but if you don’t love yourself, then what else . . . really . matters?

Growing up I felt different … insecure … and ugly.

And no matter how well I dressed or cut my hair, I thought no girl would ever love me.

Been teased. Been bullied. And even called “freak.” I felt extremely self-conscious everyday of the week.

“What’s wrong with me?”

That was the question.

Blindness.

I couldn’t see the love. And for the longest time what I didn’t have … got in the way of me seeing all that I already was.

Flip it. What about you?

Ever been called stupid? Wished you were never born? Compared yourself to others? Or had your heart ripped out and torn [a/part] …

A part of our lives is what we show the world.

‘Cause that’s what we do. We keep the hurt inside. Pretend every things OK Then go away and hide. . (It’s dark in here!)

But trust me, that’s not where we wanna dwell.

So let me ask this question to all of us: Do we love ourselves?

Society tells us what to eat, what to drink, what to wear and what to drive … driving us crazy ’cause we just wanna feel alive.

We hear things like “you’re supposed to be this” and “you’re supposed to be that” … blah, blah, blah.

Then we end up even more broken, more empty, and with more stains … stuck in an endless cycle with no real substance ever gained. We’re lost!

Only wanting to find our way . You see, we don’t really wanna end our lives … reality is … we only wanna end our pain.

So how do we try fixing ourselves?

Money. Sex. Power.

Now are these things wrong, in and of themselves? No! But here’s the question of the hour: Why do you do what you do?

Think about it.

Are your pursuits stemming from self-love? Or are they ways for you to try to attain love? Big difference.

‘Cause if you ain’t lovin’ yourself first, the pursuit happiness … is nothin’ but a hindrance.

Go for it. The results are the same again and again. What it comes down to is: Do YOU treat YOURSELF as your own best friend?

Love.

You can’t give away what you don’t have, right? Listen.

Truth is, despite your mistakes, failures, and shortcomings … none of those things define you.

They never have, and they never will. So move on which your life and stop standing still . Keep going

The past is the past. Learn from your mistakes . Forgive and give yourself another chance .

You see, once you start loving yourself, life … suddenly starts loving you back.

I’m not saying it’s gonna be perfect, but you’ll stop noticing the lack. . Life’s flowing.

YOU . are a gift to the world.

And like with any gift, it’s what’s inside that ultimately matters.

Know … your … worth.

‘Cause if more people looked within, the world would stop perishing. You don’t believe me? Then try loving yourself . ‘Cause loving yourself … changes … everything.

#itstartshere #spokenword #JoshuaTongol #poetry #poem