emotionally naked

A little over a week ago i set out to hold a personal experiment. Every morning i woke up i looked deep into the mirror and said out loud the phrase " I am beautiful!" It's no question that i've struggled with self worth for some time. My earlier years and teenage years had been riddled with images of me being less than attractive. I don't blame my parents for this but growing up in a household with 2 other sibling (girls on top of that) left little nurturing for me. I've often heard that boys need all the attention they can get when they're young to become emotionally managing adults. I guess i missed that boat just a little. My dating life with the girls only made matters worst. Just recently i saw a girl from high school that i spent 4 years chasing. Oh, she recognized my advances at that point in time but i wasn't the guy for her. To make matters worst i was to clueless to understand that. That was just a small lap around a huge whirl pool of emotion let downs. On the bright side, when i saw her she had gained weight and had 3 kids with her. If the worst that's happened to me is that i've gained about 15 lbs and mostly bald then i'm doing alright.
My main point is that i was watching Ru Paul's Drag U. He challenged a women to look into the mirror and tell herself that she was beautiful. Due to her emotional baggage she was unable to do something as simple as that. I asked my friend could she do that same exercise and she told me no as well. So why not me? Could i really do it? Well i did and honestly i feel better. I don't slouch my shoulders as much as i use to. I also hold my head higher when i go out into public. I've noticed a larger than normal boost in myself confidence. I'm still not to the point of feeling that any girl could fall in love with me, but i'm getting that. I never realized how important it is to love yourself. Especially if we want others to accept us for who we are, i've found it's more than important it's a necessity. My favorite quote from his shows is still one i'm working on to this day:

How can you expect anyone else to love you, if you can't love yourself?