It is much easier to acquire the skills of ANWOT once we have taught ourselves to become our own best friend.  During our first decades, we customarily are taught to provide for our physical needs such as eating, bathing, bowel care, language, and making a living.  Most are quite successful in learning these skills.  Our society has yet to educate its people on the importance of assuming personal responsibility for our emotional needs.  Worse than the absence of education in self-endorsement, we are more commonly taught the opposite skills of self-blame, guilt and putdowns that lead to becoming our own worst enemy.  Lacking the skill of self-endorsement, we are prone to go through life dependent on others for approval, what I call being a “love junky.”  This is why I strongly recommend first tackling the strens leading to becoming one’s own best friend.  They are the prerequisite to acquiring ANWOT.  It is very difficult to give to others what is lacking in our self.  I value working to earn the approval and love of others; this is quite different than remaining dependent on it.  There is always room for more love.  It is a great bonus to fulfill our wants in addition to our needs.

“Love thy neighbor as thyself.”  The skills of Becoming Our Own Best Friend and creating love begin with self-endorsement.  Read these self-endorsement strens and work on those that you find most useful.  If you have additional skill-building methods, please add them to our blog.