If you’re anything like me, you probably participate in a lot of self-depreciating humor. You probably downplay yourself more than others. Most people have been in a situation where they felt like they weren’t good enough or they couldn’t do anything right. And that’s alright, we all have those days, we all get down sometimes.

I’m unfortunately one of those people who is very very hard on themselves. I get disappointed with myself faster than anyone else. But that’s because I know what I’m capable of. I expect more from myself. I know my faults and I’m not afraid to point them out. I’ll be the first one to say I don’t know how to do something.

Owning up to it is easy for me.

Owning up to my mistakes or faults has honestly made my life ten times easier. Most people don’t expect it and when someone is trying to be rude to me or degrade me it’s super easy for me to bounce back because I already know. It is one-hundred percent okay to be yourself, flaws and all.

I know my biggest faults. I’m not perfect, no one is, and I recognize that and accept it. I am my biggest hater. Self-love is definitely important, but so is a little self-hate. It makes it easier for me to live my life. I nitpick at myself and make my flaws known. That’s the only way I know how to grow. If you can realize what is “wrong” then you can find out how to “fix” it.

Acting as if you are perfect and flawless will not allow you to make any changes. You have to see the problem in order to deal with it.

But don’t be too mean to yourself. Cause like I said, no one’s perfect. You shouldn’t make yourself feel so bad to the point of no return. You still need to be active in self-love. You need to remind yourself that just because you messed up it’s not the end of the world, that you can fix it. Love yourself enough to do better, to be better. Don’t allow yourself to become “sloppy” or unhappy because you feel as if you are already being and doing everything completely perfect. There is always room to grow. Growth can be emotional, mental, or physical- you can expand on any of these areas in your life.

Growth is the most important part of life, in my opinion. If you don’t learn and grow as a person from an experience, then was it even worth it?

Have high standards for yourself but definitely hold your head up higher.

Definitely don’t allow others to completely trash talk you and downgrade your worth. Know your worth and stand up for yourself. I know it’s easier said than done, but at least give it a try.

You need to be able to cry by yourself and laugh at yourself. You need to be your own number one fan and your biggest hater. There will always be people surrounding you that want to see you fail but as a strong, independent person it is up to you to grow and prosper.