Charlie Chaplin has wirtten this poem on his 70th birthday (April 16, 1959).
When I began to love myself,
I understood that I am always and at every opportunity,
I am in the right place at the right time.
and that everything that happens is right -
from then on I could be calm.
Today I know: this is called TRUST.
When I began to love myself,
I was able to realize that emotional pain and suffering
are only warnings for me to live against my own truth.
Today I know: This is called BEING AUTHENTIC.
When I began to love myself,
I stopped longing for another life and could see that everything around me
and could see that everything around me was a call to grow.
Today I know this is called Maturity.
When I began to love myself,
I stopped robbing myself of my free time,
and I stopped designing grandiose projects for the future.
Today, I only do what brings me fun and joy,
what I love and what makes my heart smile,
in my own way and at my own pace.
Today I know that is called HONESTY.
When I began to love myself,
I freed myself from everything that was not healthy for me,
from food, people, things, situations
and from everything that kept pulling me down, away from myself.
At first I called this "Healthy Egoism",
but today I know that this is SELF-LOVE.
When I began to love myself,
I stopped always wanting to be right,
so I was wrong less.
Today I have realized: this is called DEMURITY.
When I began to love myself,
I refused to live in the past and worry about my future.
and worry about my future.
Now I live only in this moment where EVERYTHING takes place,
so today I live every day and I call it CONSCIOUSNESS.
When I began to love myself
I realized that my thinking
can make me miserable and sick.
However, when I called upon the powers of my heart,
the mind got an important partner.
Today I call this connection HEART WISDOM.
We need not continue to be afraid of disputes,
conflicts and problems with ourselves and others,
because even stars sometimes collide
and new worlds are created.
Today I know: THIS IS LIFE !