Many people do things primarily because they want to be seen. For someone to tell them it's okay to be who they are. This is precisely what makes you not truly someone who chooses to love yourself, but rather, you give others the right to decide whether you even matter. Your heart is closed to yourself. And even if you treat everyone with acceptance, if you don't start with yourself, you'll never feel the pleasure of being truly accepted. There's a tendency among people who show others how open they are to others that it can be difficult for them to admit to others that they themselves are struggling. It's very difficult not to be who you used to be, because often there was no one who noticed you were different from who you were and allowed you to be without judgment. That's why people don't know you as they could, because they behave differently in what they might perceive as knowing you only in what you show, as opposed to if they truly wanted to understand you. Not everyone wants to connect with another person with an open heart. Therefore, it's important for you to know that such a connection is possible. There are countless theories about how to be with another person. However, if one is not willing to know the other person as one knows oneself, a true connection between them will never occur.