It's 2016, and times are obviously changing within our generation. The face of millennials is constantly altering, and we can be looked down by Generation X because of young faces like Kylie Jenner, Azealia Banks, and Justin Bieber being in the limelight of the next America. Many of us get caught up in creating our opinion on popular matters, making vulnerable decisions, and even deny ourselves for public appeal. It seems, individually, we continue to lose sight of the greatest aspect of life--loving yourself.

Loving yourself goes far greater than those two mere words. Loving yourself is all about being you and being comfortable defending what you believe in. Stop putting on masks to appeal to certain crowds. When you alter your interests, you are steadily lessening your precious value. We easily sacrifice ourselves for the sake of other's acceptance and likeness, but we are hesitant to show who the delicately and rigorously designed you are.

I get it--it is hard to be yourself. When everyone around you is expecting you to fit into their box imperfectly designed for you, it is almost frightening to step outside of that box because of the fear of their displeasure. However, it is necessary. How can you achieve your aspirations to the fullest if you are constantly cognizant of offending others? In case you forgot about the times that we are living in, you can't please everyone! So just be yourself. The world does not need any more dolls; we need more humans with dauntlessness.

Singing about being yourself is perpetually easier than actually being yourself. You've done it, I've done it, and the rest of the human race has done it. It took me almost eighteen years to embrace the art of me. The lyrics to seemingly every song on the radio began to resonate with me. Being you is a beautiful thing. Without you, there is no personality. Without personality, there is the absence of tangible life in those you associate and encounter with.

Once you achieve the art of being you, loving yourself is quite simple. Accepting yourself is the most difficult step in loving yourself. Accepting yourself, and not putting on a façade for your social identities is achieving the ultimate self-love. When you are comfortable with yourself and stable in achieving your dreams, goals, and wishes, inspire those, too, who struggle in loving themselves. Hence, why we need more people advocating self-love via our actions to combat this epidemic. To every person still struggling with self-love, look at yourself and fall in love with the person who you know is under the masks because you deserve to be loved and appreciated more than the person or identity you are trying to be like.