Love. This is something that everyone wants and needs in their life. There are many different types of love. There’s the love of a pet; the kind where they are happy to see you every day, no matter what. There’s the love of your parents; the protective and giving kind. There’s the love of a best friend; the kind where you will eat a whole bucket on Ben and Jerry’s and a large meat lover’s pizza while watching the Bachelorette because how else are you supposed to help each other figure out life?

Then, my friends, we have true love; the love that we put up on a pedestal and treat like the Holy Grail. It’s kind that only comes around once in a lifetime. We all dream of the day when we say “I Do” because we finally found our person; our other half. Finding that love means that you never have to go on the awkward first date again, or never have to feel your heart break because of someone else again.

But what if true love isn’t the best kind of love? The truth is you can’t have true love until you love yourself whole heartedly. Loving yourself means that you don’t rely on anyone but yourself to be happy. It means that you accept yourself and love who you are without someone else telling you.

The other day I wore a dress and bright red lipstick to class. Someone in my class looked at me and said, “Wow, who are you dressing to impress?”. This is the problem. I don’t dress nice to impress anyone. I dressed up that day because it made me feel good. I dressed for myself, not anyone else. This is one way to love yourself while boosting your confidence!

Setting goals is another way to love yourself. I’m not saying you have to figure your whole life out. But setting goals of what you want to accomplish and what you want out of life helps tell you what makes you happy. Once you find what makes you happy then you can find someone who has those same aspirations in life. You don’t be with someone and not know what YOU truly want out of life. Your happiness can easily be confused with seeing and making someone else happy. But just imagine being with someone who has no idea what makes you happy because you don’t even know.

Accepting and loving your body is next. I am sure you all have encountered the girl who when complimented says something like, “Oh, you think I’m skinny? Thanks, but I’m actually fat.” No. No one should have to convince you that you’re beautiful, especially your significant other. I’m not saying that you need to see perfection, but acceptance of flaws is a step in the right direction. Taking a flaw and turning it into a positive is important, and not only when talking about your body.

Loving yourself inside and out is the starting point for any strong and solid relationship. The saying, “We accept the love we think we deserve.” really hits this home. Not only will loving yourself lay quality ground work for any relationship, but it will also better your life in ways you never thought were possible. So get out there and love the incredible person you are!