Loving yourself might sound a little odd, but that doesn't mean it isn't critical. The more you love yourself, the better you'll care for yourself. That impacts your health, longevity, self-esteem, self-confidence, and success. When you love yourself, you make yourself a priority. You deserve nothing less.

Try these tips and discover greater self-love:

Remember your victories. View yourself in a positive light more often. One of the easiest ways to do this is to remember your triumphs. Maybe you hit a home run and won the game in 5th grade. Remember your high school graduation day. Think about that time you received a promotion.

● Most people spend plenty of time remembering their failures. Try doing the opposite for a month and see what happens!

Volunteer. Volunteering is a great way to boost your self-esteem. It's easier to love yourself when you see yourself as a good person. Put your attention on someone else. You'll enjoy the mental break, and your opinion of yourself will get a boost. You have a big heart, so remind yourself of that from time to time.

Be a good friend. You know how to be a good friend, but sometimes you're not. Being a good friend makes you feel good about yourself. It will also improve how your friends view and treat you. Everyone wins when you decide to show up for people you care about.

Forgive yourself. You've made a few mistakes. Who hasn't? However, it's time to forgive yourself. Give yourself a break. You would do the same for someone you care about, so do it for yourself.

Pursue what you need rather than what you want. What you want is rarely what you need. Once you've taken care of your needs, you'll be better able to acquire what you want. Satisfying your needs is a prime example of self-love.

Appreciate your uniqueness. We sometimes can downplay our qualities, skills, or unique abilities. However, the most valuable parts of you are those different from others. The fact that you have an elbow doesn't make you memorable.

Practice gratitude. Be grateful for your body, mind, and uniqueness. Be thankful for everything in your life. Your life is better than you think. You are better than you think. Be grateful, and you'll start to believe that you deserve more love from yourself.

Be as kind to yourself as you would be to anyone else. To be more considerate to others than yourself is just showing everyone, including yourself, that you don't respect yourself. At the end of the day, there's no one looking out for you. You'll have to take on this responsibility yourself.

Self-love is an essential part of your self-development. Without self-love, your success and happiness face a huge obstacle. Self-love is a skill that can be developed. It's also the result of an effective set of habits. Set aside sometime each day to build your self-esteem and self-love. Your life will be better for it.