Who is the one person you can trust? The one that has your best interests at heart, and longs for your happiness more than anything else? The voice in your head that tells you to keep your head up, and that will always have your back, no matter what? Just ask G-Eazy—it’s me, myself, and I. You know yourself better than anyone else, and the better you treat yourself, the more likely it is that others will treat you well, too. No matter what storms we weather or obstacles we face, we must trust ourselves and find the power within us to conquer them. As the Biebs would say, you should go and love yourself. Here are the eight miracles that occur when you become your own best friend

1. You stop judging yourself so harshly and learn how to accept yourself.

When you make the conscious decision to trust yourself and take whatever measures are necessary to treat your body and soul with kindness and care, changes start to occur. You begin to appreciate yourself and feel grateful for the qualities and traits that make you who you are. When that happens, you start to see the beauty you hold, instead of your flaws. You’re one step closer to loving your beautiful self.

2. Your outlook on life becomes more positive than ever.

After a long night of sweet dreams, your alarm blares at the crack of dawn. It’s time for a day filled with classes and commitments, but for the first time, you’re looking forward to what today might bring. You know that you can handle anything that comes your way, and begin to welcome the challenges and excitement that might lie ahead. The better you feel about who you are, the better life will be. If we seek the best in life, we will reap the best, too.

3. Your relationships improve dramatically.

Whether you’re single or in a relationship, you’ll see a transformation in the way that others perceive you. When you love and trust yourself, it’s obvious to others. You will carry yourself with confidence, security, and trust your instincts. With that comes an innate responsibility you feel to protect yourself and to look for what’s best for you, especially in the way that others treat you. You will no longer tolerate disrespect, ignorance, or childish behavior, and will simply remove those that treat you that way from your life. In a subtle way, you will demand respect from others by respecting yourself, and will find people to love that share the same values as you. How can we expect others to love us if we don’t know how to love ourselves?

4. You will care less about what others think of you.

It’s 4:52 p.m. on Saturday, and you just uploaded the picture of you and Leah at the Cherub concert last night to Instagram. Instead of freaking out over the fact that you have only received five likes in 10 minutes, you feel great about the fact that you had an amazing night with your best friend. You don’t need the validation that you look pretty or that your night was better than anyone else’s, because you’re comfortable in your own skin and feel lucky to have had a great experience that you want to share with others. It doesn’t matter what other people think, because you know that it is their opinion, which has no effect on the person that you are. Believe me, that’s a blessing in itself.

5. You become more goal-oriented.

Now that we feel confident in our abilities and believe in our own potential, we want to manifest that. If you know that you’re capable of achieving greatness, you will strive to do whatever you can to make your dreams come true. The worst that can happen is that you fail, but you feel confident enough to pick yourself up and try again. You want what’s best for YOU, and will work to go after it.

6. Your priorities change.

We can almost all agree that freshman year was filled with frat parties and Four Lokos, but we’ve moved on now. We take a step back and realize that in order to set ourselves on the right path to reaching our goals, we need to start making different choices. Although the cute boy in your biology lab invited you to his party on Saturday night, you are consciously aware of the fact that you won’t get any studying done for your test on Monday if you don’t get enough sleep. Therefore, you feel comfortable in your choice to skip the party, and trust that if the cute boy likes you, he will understand. YOU come first, and that’s okay. You know what’s best for you in the long run, and will (usually) make the right choices to keep yourself on the right track.

7. You become more accepting of vulnerability.

Ah, vulnerability. The worst feeling, yet the most courageous as well. To be vulnerable is both a challenge and an awakening, because it is filled with discomfort and uncertainty. The idea of being completely honest and open about your feelings takes a leap of faith, and can end in either happiness or disaster. The person that loves him or herself has the strength and faith to be vulnerable, and as a result, moves closer to what he or she wants in life. If we love someone and feel confidence in ourselves, we are willing to break out of our comfort zone and tell him or her how we feel. It’s part of the process to becoming stronger, and even though it can be terrifying, it is almost always worth the risk.

8. You learn to forgive.

Forgiveness is not just about accepting the apologies of others, but also learning to accept the mistakes you have made yourself. You may have made stupid decisions, hurt others either intentionally or unintentionally, or have done things that you are not proud of. If you become your own best friend, you find a way to forgive yourself and to forgive others. You see your mistakes as learning experiences, and you take them as opportunities for growth. You will be able to see that your character is not defined by your flaws, but by the way you rise above them and how you can better yourself as a result. Holding a grudge takes work and negative energy, so take a deep breath and let it go. You’re not perfect—no one is. Cut yourself and others some slack.