Personal Love: The Superpower That Changes Everything

We live in a culture that often teaches us to prove, perfect, and please to feel worthy. But what if the real key to fulfillment, resilience, and authentic leadership isn’t found in doing more—but in loving ourselves more?

In my own journey, I discovered that Personal Love—the belief that we are worthy of love and care simply because we exist—is not optional. It’s vital for our well-being, relationships, and capacity to lead.

As Anita Moorjani beautifully said, “Self-love is not just about giving yourself praise—it’s about making a commitment to yourself that you will stick by yourself, even if no one else does.”

Why Personal Love Matters

Research confirms what many of us have learned the hard way: when we lack self-love, we overcompensate by chasing validation, overworking, or sacrificing ourselves for others. Psychologist Karyn Hall describes self-validation as accepting our internal experiences without demanding reciprocity or approval (Hall, 2014). Neuroscience adds that self-compassion reduces stress and strengthens emotional regulation, making us more resilient in the face of setbacks (Neff, 2011).

And here’s the ripple effect: when we love ourselves, we communicate better, set healthier boundaries, and cultivate deeper empathy. That doesn’t just improve our personal lives—it transforms how we show up in our careers and communities.

Reflection Questions

Take a pause and ask yourself:

  1. When was the last time I treated myself with the same kindness I offer to others?
  2. Do I rely on external validation to feel “enough,” or do I practice self-validated love?
  3. What is one small way I can honor my own needs this week without guilt?

Three Ways to Begin Practicing Personal Love Today

  1. Affirm your worth – Begin the day with a gentle reminder: I am enough. I matter. I am worthy of love.
  2. Set one boundary – Say no to something that drains you and yes to what restores you.
  3. Reconnect with your inner child – Look at an old photo of yourself as a little one. Speak words of love and encouragement to that child—you are still that person.

Coaching Connection

If you find yourself exhausted from giving more than you receive, or if self-doubt and over-performance have crowded out joy, coaching can be a powerful way to reclaim your personal love. In a safe and supportive space, coaching helps you notice old patterns, practice new choices, and build the inner resilience to thrive without sacrificing yourself. Use this worksheet to dive deeper into this vital act of self-love.

You don’t have to figure this out alone. I’d love to offer you a free consultation call where we can pause together, explore what’s weighing on you, and begin charting a path toward a more self-loving, purpose-aligned life.

Because when you awaken your personal love, everything else—your relationships, your work, your leadership—shines brighter.

Celebrating Others: The Gift of Seeing the Good

This week, my heart is full as I celebrate my son Nico’s 20th birthday. Twenty years of watching him grow into his own light, his own purpose, his own path. As a mother, I’ve learned that one of the greatest gifts we can give our children—and really, anyone in our lives—is to celebrate who they are, not just what they do.

In a world quick to point out flaws and focus on the negative, choosing to accentuate the positive in others is a radical act of love. Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson’s research on positive emotions shows that when we highlight the good, it doesn’t just make someone feel better in the moment—it actually broadens their awareness and helps build long-term resilience and stronger relationships (Fredrickson, 2001). Neuroscience research from UC Davis found that gratitude practices, like noticing and expressing appreciation, improve sleep, reduce stress, and increase happiness over time (Emmons & McCullough, 2003). And in the workplace, Gallup reports that employees who regularly receive recognition and praise are more engaged, more productive, and significantly less likely to burn out (Gallup, 2016).

When we notice what is good, strong, or beautiful in someone, we’re not just reflecting their light back to them—we’re helping them see it more clearly themselves. Celebration is more than birthdays and milestones. It’s in the everyday moments: a kind gesture, a resilient choice, a spark of creativity, or simply the courage to keep going. By pausing to acknowledge these things, we remind each other that we are more than our struggles—we are possibility, promise, and purpose in motion.

So today, I celebrate Nico. I celebrate his humor, his curiosity, his resilience, and the way he continues to teach me what it means to grow.

Pause & Reflect: What can you celebrate about yourself—or someone you work with, love, or walk alongside?

Here are three gentle steps you can take today:

  1. Pause and Notice – Take one mindful breath, then name one quality or moment you appreciate in yourself or another.

  2. Express It – Share your recognition. Write it down, speak it aloud, or send a short message of appreciation.

  3. Repeat and Reinforce – Make it a daily habit. The more we celebrate, the more our brains are rewired to see hope, connection, and possibility.

Celebrating others isn’t just kindness—it’s a leadership skill, a parenting tool, and a practice of love that shapes cultures, families, and teams.

And here’s the beautiful truth: every time you celebrate someone else, you strengthen your own capacity for joy and resilience. By pausing to honor the good, we create ripples of hope that go far beyond the moment—and those ripples begin with us.

The Neuroscience of Purpose: Why Pausing to Reconnect Changes Everything

Fifty years ago, I began life in an incubator, fighting for each breath. Raised in a home where love seemed conditional, earned by being good, quiet, and responsible, I carried a belief that I had to perform and prove my worth. That belief took me across borders, through Corporate America, and into leadership roles.

But beneath all the striving, a deeper truth lived within me. My name, Clara Lucia, means clear light. And my purpose has always been to awaken humanity in the marketplace—to help people remember who they are, beyond the pressure to perform, prove, or please.

Why Purpose Matters—For Your Brain, Body, and Leadership

Science is now confirming what our hearts have always known: when you live with purpose, everything changes.

  • For your brain: Purpose strengthens memory and resilience. Research shows it enhances brain structures like the hippocampus and white matter, which are essential for focus and stress recovery (Boylan et al., 2024).
  • For your emotions: People with a strong sense of purpose bounce back from stress faster, showing stronger regulation of emotional responses (van Reekum et al., 2013).
  • For your health: Living purposefully is linked to healthier immune function and even better gene expression, lowering inflammation and strengthening antiviral defenses (Fredrickson et al., 2013).
  • For your life: Carol Ryff’s six-factor model of psychological well-being identifies purpose in life as one of the essential pillars of human flourishing (Ryff, 1989).

And this truth was powerfully lived out by Viktor Frankl, the Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor. In the concentration camps, he lost nearly everything—his parents, his wife, his career. Yet he observed that those who survived the unimaginable weren’t the strongest or even the healthiest, but those who held on to a sense of meaning. As he wrote:

“Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear almost any ‘how.’”

Frankl’s story reminds us that purpose is not a luxury—it is a lifeline. It is fuel for your mind, your body, your relationships, and your leadership.

Why the Pause Is Everything

If purpose is so powerful, why do so many of us drift away from it?

Because we live on autopilot. The hustle culture we live in convinces us that doing more will finally make us “enough.” But what we really need is not more doing—it’s a pause.

That’s why I teach the Power Pause. Neuroscience shows that intentional pauses literally rewire your brain—disrupting patterns of stress and building new pathways for clarity and calm.

3 Ways to Reconnect With Purpose Today

Take a Soul Inventory. Ask yourself: Where do I feel alive? Where do I feel like I’m disappearing? Where have I abandoned myself to achieve or please others? What’s the cost of staying vs. the risk of changing?

Write a Personal Vow. Neuroscience tells us repetition rewires the brain. Writing statements like “I vow to honor my truth and stop apologizing for who I am” strengthens pathways of self-worth.

Anchor Micro-Pauses. Before a meeting or after a hard conversation, pause. Breathe deeply and ask: Am I moving from pressure—or from purpose? These moments shift your brain and your leadership in real time.

My Invitation to You

Living on autopilot doesn’t just cost us energy—it costs us clarity, joy, and connection.

When you pause, when you realign with purpose, you not only reclaim your energy—you ignite your light. And that light doesn’t just change your life. It awakens humanity around you.

So today, I invite you: take a pause. Breathe. Reconnect with the purpose that has always been within you.

Next Step: If this resonates, I’d love to guide you deeper. Reach out to me at clara.carrier@startbreakingthrough for a time to connect. Start breaking through to reclaim your clarity and confidence.