In my previous blog post, I talked about Being Who You Are.
 
In this blog post I would like to talk about: The importance of Unconditional Love.
 
Unconditional Love means accepting a person for who they are and caring about their happiness and wellness without setting ultimatums or demanding any benefits in return.
 
Throughout my work as a holistic, results-oriented life coach and speaker and through my personal journey, I’ve learned to realize that unconditional love from parents to their children is extremely important in building one’s self-confidence and sense of self-worth. The impact of this extends from childhood through adolescence and adulthood.
 
A 2015 study from Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child found that “Every child who winds up doing well has had at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive adult.”
 
But even the most successful people, may have their struggles that originated from early childhood memories that were perceived as lack of unconditional love. Those experiences have long-term effects that may prevent them from being the best version of themselves, in relationships, at work or in their physical well-being.
 
Providing unconditional love to children and youth is even more crucial in marginalized communities.
 
Pride Month has just ended, but advocacy for the marginalized LGBTQIA community is important year-round.
 
As an alley to this community let me share with you some alarming data presented in the Trevor Project:
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24.
- LGB youth are almost five times as likely to have attempted suicide compared to heterosexual youth
- In a national study, 40% of transgender adults reported having made a suicide attempt. 92% of these individuals reported having attempted suicide before the age of 25. 
- LGB youth who come from highly rejecting families are 8.4 times as likely to have attempted suicide as LGB peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection.
- Each episode of LGBT victimization, such as physical or verbal harassment or abuse, increases the likelihood of self-harming behavior by 2.5 times on average.
 
If you or someone you know may be at risk of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. If you’re a young LGBTQ person and need to talk to someone, call The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386
 
Unconditional love is a conscious decision you make every day, and in every new situation that comes along, to yourself and to your loved ones. As a society we have the responsibility to accept everyone for who they are and allow a welcoming and safe environment. This can save someone’s life.
 
And If you are an adult, who suffered from lack of love in your childhood, and you feel it’s affecting you in any way, remember you have the responsibility to love yourself unconditionally, and give yourself a chance to heal these wounds, and transform them into resources that can assist you today in getting to where we want tomorrow, because as Ru Paul said:
“If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else”
 
Please reach out if you need some guidance and assistance.

I'll be honored to meet you.

Sending much love to you,
 
Michelle Guelfand

MBA, NLP Trainer & Master Practitioner
Founder & CEO
My Desired Outcome Academy
Holistic, Results-oriented Coaching, Lectures & Workshops
www.myDesiredOutcome.com