Being a girl is tough especially in a generation where there are so many pressures to be perfect. We're expected to look a certain way, talk a certain way, and think a certain way. This can easily affect the way we view ourselves and it can be extremely damaging to our self confidence. I can remember countless times in my younger years being made fun of, body shamed, and told that I wasn't good enough.

Although those times were hard, I eventually grew up and stopped caring. Was it easy? Absolutely not. However, I soon came to realize that I love myself exactly the way I am and whoever doesn't can kiss where I sit. From that point on, things were never the same.

Once you reach a place of self acceptance your entire outlook on life begins to change.

1. Petty drama that once would have bothered you no longer does.

Let's face it, when you are surrounded by lots of girls there's bound to be drama. Once you know who you are, none of this is going to matter anymore. You could care less about "he said, she said" drama because you are so far removed from that.

2. You learn that it's okay to be selfish sometimes.

Make no mistake, when I say this it doesn't mean to always be consumed with yourself. You should always strive to be a kind person and give to others, but it's also okay to be selfish about things that you want. You never want to look back and see opportunities that you could've taken but you didn't. It's a blessing to make others happy but you can't forget to put yourself on that list too.

3. Other's opinions of you become irrelevant because you know you're FABULOUS.

You don't have the time to sit and analyze why someone said something because your confidence is so high it doesn't even phase you. More than likely, they're probably crazy anyways.

4. You no longer view women as competition.

Having the need to compete with other women just shows insecurity and lack of maturity. The goal is for ALL of us to make it. One woman is not lesser than because her friend is succeeding; we will all have our time.

5. You no longer have room for BS in your life.

Whether this be with friendships or relationships, you no longer have the patience for nonsense. If someone doesn't want to make an effort to be in your life you will gladly show them the door!

6. You start living your life for you and only you.

When you make those tough decisions, you can confidently say you did it for yourself and not to make someone else happy. You don't dull your shine just because the one next to you is insecure. You start allowing yourself to be great!

7. You're okay being by yourself. In fact, you sometimes prefer it.

When you're insecure you have a tendancy to constantly be surrounded by people to make yourself feel better, even if it means the people aren't real friends. Not anymore! You'll take being by yourself any day over being surrounded by a bunch of fake friends.

8. The fear of taking chances slowly starts to disappear.

Once you know who you are you feel as though you can conquer the world. You start trusting your instincts and you can do so confidently with no regrets.

9. You back down to no one.

You have no problem speaking your mind and telling people where they can go!

10. Finding love is no longer the main focus in your life because you're too busy learning to love yourself.

Not saying that you may not find love, but no one can love you unless you love yourself first. Finding a potential spouse is the last thing on your college to-do list because you're enjoying this time learning about yourself and figuring out what makes you happy.

Learning to love yourself obviously will not happen overnight. For some people this may be a lifelong battle, but I promise once you get there, life becomes all the more meaningful. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is how you feel about yourself. As the great Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent".