We must love ourselves

I have a strong desire to uplift and motivate girls to be more confident, have higher self-esteem and a higher level of respect for themselves. I feel that if we can uplift the young girls growing up and help to build them into more confident individuals we will have more women in the world who will have a greater sense of self. Many women say they are self confident, that they love themselves, and respect themselves yet they allow themselves to be taken advantage of, used, and disrespected. The same women who say they are strong women are the same women allowing a man to mistreat them, staying with a man who abuses you, cheats on you or verbally puts you down shows the total opposite, it doesn't show your strength but it shows your weakness. I don't know if it is their insecurity that is keeping them in relationships that weigh them down, or is it their lack of self-esteem that keeps them holding on? Many women feel they are nothing without a man, they feel if they don't have a man, then their world is turned upside down. If they learn to love themselves, they will learn that they have more value in who they are besides being someone's girl, wife, or significant other. It is a good thing to have a soul mate, a husband, someone to share your life with but it is not healthy to love a man more than you love yourself. Self love is the greatest love of all, aside from your love for God.