"Love yourself first." Is this just a cliche?

An issue that has come up in my practice of psychology recently is self love.  What does it mean to love oneself?  I believe it helps to use another word due to the overuse of this phrase.  What about learning to cherish oneself?  Cherishing yourself as you would a beloved pet or your own child.  What would you do differently in your life if you cherished yourself?  Would you be as hard on yourself?  Would you push yourself as hard?  Would you have as high of expectations of yourself?  Would you take better care of yourself?