It's difficult to fully articulate the difference that learning to love my body - and ultimately to love my SELF - has made in my life. When I saw this heart-warming video clip a couple of weeks ago, I immediately thought, "YES! This is what the journey to self love was like for me! " Take a look:

Not only does this video perfectly capture the euphoria that came from fully embracing who I am, it also provides a window into my journey.

Step 1: Know My Cage.

For me, loathing my body was my "cage." I was trapped inside a belief that I needed to lose weight in order to be happy and free. The funny thing is that for a long time, I thought my body itself was my cage. I tried and tried and tried to free myself by removing fat from my body, but it never worked because my body wasn't the problem. Self-loathing was. Getting really clear on that was a critically important first step of my journey.

If you are interested in beginning your own journey to love, I would encourage you to begin by examining your cage. Be exceedingly curious about what, precisely, is keeping you trapped. You might be surprised by what you find.

Step 2: Peek, Retreat, Repeat.

Once I became aware of my cage (my self-loathing), it was like a door was opened for me. And just like that cute little seal, I peeked through the open door, felt totally overwhelmed and bewildered, and retreated into my comfortable cage of self-loathing. For me, this peeking and retreating happened many times before I was ready to walk through the door.

This was such an important part of the journey for me. Just like it wouldn't have worked for someone to force the seal out of his cage, it wouldn't have worked for me to force myself into a place of self love.

If you are in this place of "peeking and retreating," be gentle and patient with yourself. There's no need to force or hurry. It will take exactly as long as it needs take, and there is so much to learn by staying right where you are.

Step 3: Baby Steps Out the Door

Eventually, curiosity gets the better of the seal, and he walks out of his cage. This happened for me, too. And just like the seal, I stayed close to my cage at first. I kept the familiar comfort of self-loathing within reach. I explored the edges just outside my cage. I tiptoed into tolerance and ambivalence. Love was still far off on the horizon.

When you're ready to take those teensy baby steps out of your cage, go ahead. But chances are, you won't go far at first. Again, recognize this as an important part of the journey. Take your time. Sense what it feels like to be just beyond the walls of hatred.

Step 4: Feel the Rush

That period of time of living barely outside the walls of my cage wasn't about loving, or even really liking myself. It was about no longer hating myself. And that lack of hate created space inside my heart. Eventually, I recognized that space as possibility. And without ever planning or forcing it, I suddenly felt the rush of pure hope.

Once that happened, things began moving and shifting inside of me at an accelerated rate. Just like the little seal racing across the wet sand toward his ocean home, I was moving full steam ahead toward my authentic self.

This rush is unmistakable. Once you sense it, I encourage you to give yourself completely over to it. GO! GO! GO!

Step 5: Homecoming

Once that little seal hits the water, it is so clear that he is HOME. He has found his place in the world. He is free to be himself. To enjoy himself. To revel in his own innate desires.

This is exactly what it feels like for me now that I fiercely love my body. The love doesn't flow perfectly 100% of the time, and sometimes I cycle back through the earlier steps. But for the most, part, I feel a deep sense of having come home. Just like the seal, I have found my place. I am free to be me. And I revel in it.

The really cool thing is that my journey started with exiting my cage of body hatred and then moved into an experience that goes way beyond loving my belly, hips, and thighs. Self love is love for my body, yes. But it's also love for everything else that is part of me. It's love for my past, present, and future. It's love for my mind and spirit. It's love for my full range of emotions. It's love for my quirks and shadows and limitations. All of it.

I don't know the seal's full story. I don't know what lead him to be in captivity in the first place. I don't know what his life was like while in captivity. But I know that all of his experiences, whatever they were, paved the way for the sweetness of his release.

And so it was for me. All the diets. All the brutal exercise routines. All the cruel self talk. The pinching of the fat around my middle. The binge eating. The tears. The therapy. The stacks of self-help books. Every single layer was preparing me for the sweetness of self love.

Out in the distance, the wave are splashing and laughing. Calling your name. Waiting for you to come home to love.

P.S. The slow and gentle process I've described here is the same process that Simone Goudreau and I are taking an amazing group of women through in our upcoming body image program, Fierce Love: A Nine Month Body Homecoming. If you're ready to begin your own journey to love, and you're looking for support along the way, this program is for you!

P.P.S. Enjoyed reading my story of self-love? Well, there’s more! You can also read the rest of the stories written by online personal development bloggers in a Self Love Stories Report. Evelyn Lim started the ball rolling by sharing her story in the post Self Love Story: Lessons from the Heart.  She had written it in response to an intuitive call to create greater Self Love Awareness. The report, compiled with the help of Lance Ekum, will be available as a free download soon!

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