You always hear people say, "Love yourself, so no one else has to." And as much as we laugh it off and disregard it, the message is pretty important. Unfortunately, we live in a time of Photoshop and a constant need for unattainable perfection. It makes it hard for us to love ourselves when we're always being told that we're just not good enough.

A lot of times, we let these doubts about ourselves get the best of us. We feel like we need other people to validate our worth. We settle for anyone that tells us we're pretty, because we only believe it when it's coming from someone else's mouth. We accept attention from anyone that gives it to us, even if they're not worth our time

You're a really kick-ass person, no matter what anyone tells you. You need to have enough confidence in yourself that you don't have to rely on someone else to make you feel better. Sure it's nice to hear from people, but it only means something when it's from the right people. Why are you so quick to believe it coming from some slimy guy at a party but not from your best friends? Because I can tell you right now, when it's coming from your friends, it's genuine; that creep said it mostly hoping to benefit at the end of the night.

I understand that loving yourself is easier said than done. There will always be other people whose lives look perfect on Instagram, and you will envy them, but that shouldn't make you feel any less about yourself. Because somewhere out there, someone is looking at your life and wishing they could be you. And beyond that, not everything is how it seems in pictures. Everyone has their own issues and self-doubts they deal with, even those stick-thin fitness models who seem to have it all.

Don't settle just to feel appreciated and wanted. Because you're pretty cool no matter how many guys hit on you or don't even glance your way. If you think you look hot, you shouldn't care what other people around you think. You aren't living your life to please them. You deserve better than the creep who's trying his luck with every girl that passes.

Go out and have a good time with your friends. Appreciate yourself until you find someone that's actually worth your time. You are not just some object that can be taken, you're a really f---ing awesome person that deserves to be worked for. If they're not willing to expend a little energy to get to know you as a human being than they are so below you.

The more you look in the mirror and love what you see, the less you will feel the need to depend on someone else to tell you how beautiful you are. You deserve to be treated like you put the stars in the sky, and you should accept nothing less. You're better than just settling for anyone. You don't need anyone else to tell you how great you are, you already know.