American author Will Durant claimed that, "we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."

I like to think that this applies to love, too. Love is not something we do once and check off the list. "To love" is a verb, not a passive attitude but a living, breathing discipline that relies on our consistent cultivation.

I believe something else about love: that women are experts at it. We love our children, our friends, our parents, our partners. We love our pets, our gardens, our hobbies, our communities, our world. One thing we have trouble with, though, is loving ourselves.

I believe that every woman could love herself more, but if you answer yes to many of the following statements, this book was definitely written for you:

• Do you regularly fail to give yourself credit for things you've done or celebrate your achievements?
• Do you shrug off compliments?
• Do you dislike yourself?
• Do you feel needy and clingy in relationships, always seeking approval and permission?
• Do you assume people would reject you if they knew the real you?
• Do you feel fundamentally unworthy, inferior and unlovable?
• Do you feel like you don't really deserve to enjoy nice things?
• Do you put your own pleasure and happiness last on your list of priorities?
• Do you feel guilty when you prioritize your needs over some else's?
• Do you often find yourself in dysfunctional relationships?
• Do you feel like you're not really sure who you are deep down, or what you want and need?
• Do you ignore your intuition and feelings?
• Do you engage in negative self-talk, or are you really hard on yourself?
• Do you find it difficult to establish and maintain healthy boundaries?
• Do you neglect your physical, emotional and mental health?

Recognizing that your relationship with yourself could be better takes courage, but by picking up this book you've taken an important first step.

In this book, I want to help you reconnect with your natural, inborn instinct to love. Self-love builds slowly, with every act of compassionate intention, and with every step we take towards honoring and protecting the unique and precious individuals we are.

With daily practice, we improve the relationship we have with our physical, emotional and even spiritual selves. Aligned this way, we build a deeper sense of wellbeing and self-worth.

The interesting thing about mastering self-love, incidentally, is just how much it opens us up to receive and give love to others as well!

The 21-day self-love workbook for women will help you to:

• Enjoy life, incorporate feel good experiences and plan things to look forward to
• Check in with yourself, feel what you feel, and allow uncomfortable feelings instead of denying or suppressing them
• Use affirmations and remind yourself that you're human, and allowed to make mistakes
• Be honest about the way you give and take in relationships
• Address and manage chronic stressors daily with healthy habits
• Slow down and savor life, allowing yourself to just be
• Be mindful and learn dis-identification practices such as naming your inner critic