loving yourself.

Too many people in this world have a self-esteem problem. What happened to being happy with who you are? What happened to accepting yourself, flaws and all? What happened to embracing who you are, both inside and outside? What happened to being confident in yourself and your decisions? What happened to walking tall? What happened to believing you are worth something? Respecting yourself? Believing in yourself?

For too many of us, our positive thoughts about who we are have disappeared. We feel defeated and worthless. We inevitably all deal with bullying, hateful words, disrespect from others, "rejection," and failure at some point in our lives. For some of us, these types of things resonate with us for years and years following. We may find ourselves struggling with depression, eating disorders, thoughts of suicide, social anxiety, and shame. We may deal with intense embarrassment and refuse to ever truly put ourselves out there again, whether in the workplace, in friendships, in romantic relationships, or via social activities.

We will talk down to ourselves. We will actually begin to internalize the negative thoughts that other people have put in our head, or the thoughts we have put in there ourselves. We become angry and begin to hate ourselves for our "downfalls," and our positive outlook on life disappears.

"I'm overweight, no one will ever want to marry me."
"I'm too short, no one will ever take me seriously."
"I got fired from my job,so I'm incapable of doing anything right."
"I failed my exam even after studying 12 hours, so I'm dumb."
"I've never kissed a girl, so I'm ugly."
"I can't afford to wear designer jeans, so I won't ever be popular."
"I have acne, so no one will think I'm beautiful."

Overweight or under. Black or white. Short or tall. Poor or rich. Failed or passed. Hired or fired. Single or taken. Married or divorced.  No matter what your circumstances are in life, you are important. You are meaningful, powerful, strong, and worthy. You are beautiful, smart, and capable. Don't let your "flaws" get in the way of embracing who you are; don't let anyone tell you that you aren't worth something. Because you, my friend, are priceless. You are individual. You are unique. Every single part of you, down to the last freckle, grey hair, or pound, is important- it's what makes you, you. And you need to stop letting other people dictate who you should or shouldn't be. Just being you is the most powerful defense you have in life. There is nothing more inspirational than someone that embraces and lives their life based on who they truly are.

Although the world [and its inhabitants] can be the most hateful and angry place at times, it can also be the most bright and beautiful. Perspective dictates all. Fill your mind with positivity. Stay optimistic. Be tough. Speak to yourself and others will love and compassion. Remember that everyone [including y-o-u!] is fighting an internal or external battle that you may not know or understand. Kill only with kindness and praise. And above all, know that your daily struggles and hardships will pay off. Consider every single day as a new opportunity to push yourself to new limits and to embrace yourself and your reality.