Two years ago, I made the decision to get my first tattoo- something that I spent a solid few years thinking about beforehand. The tattoo translates to "love yourself first," and it is something that means pretty much everything to me. When I hit adolescence, it dawned on me that I truly was not happy with who I was. I did not like the person I was slowly becoming - I did not like my morals and the way I chose to represent myself while alone, and while with others. I was not kind. I was selfish. I only thought about myself. And the irony was, I recognized this completely, yet never actively sought to change the qualities of my character. I am not sure what pushed me to start changing who I was, but something inside me was telling me that it was time. It is a difficult thing to do, really- something way easier said than done.

How does one simply go about not loving them self one day, to loving who they are the next? It is a growing process, which takes time, effort, strength, and simply the will to do so. It requires the acceptance of failures, and the constant reminder to yourself of the person who you want to become. Let me emphasize the fact that loving yourself does not necessarily mean vanity. It does not mean self-obsession or being conceited- quite the opposite actually. Loving yourself means developing an awareness for your flaws and working to embrace and better them. Loving yourself is actively striving to better your own life, and recognizing that fact that you do deserve to be happy. Loving yourself is something you cannot fake- it is something you feel truly within yourself. And with loving yourself comes inevitable happiness and love for life as well.

Being able to say you truly love yourself is one of the most amazing feelings. With the ability to love yourself comes the ability to love others just as full-heartedly. That is the beautiful thing about life - our ability to love. There are no set definitions, limitations, and you don't question it. You simply feel it within yourself. And once you do begin to start loving yourself, you are unstoppable. So I ask you to take a step back, and ask yourself, "Do I love myself?" Evaluate your answer honestly. Do you love who you see when you look in the mirror? And if not, whats stopping you? Maybe it is time to make a change- a solid, dedicated vow to yourself that you will become that person that you wish to be.

Loving yourself is more important than you think. At the end of the day, you're the one who will always have your back. So, actively work to be that person for yourself, because you deserve it. Loving yourself is a beautiful thing that every person should be able to genuinely experience. Today I can honestly say I love the person that I have worked to become. No I am not perfect, but I have only grown from where I was, and still continue to grow. Loving myself was one of the most difficult obstacles I ever had to overcome- one that brought so much unnecessary pain and hardship into my life. But when I finally learned to overcome those obstacles, life became beautiful again.

It is a strange concept, yes, as society can deem one loving them self be for solely selfish reasons. But there are so many more benefits to this idea than what meets the eye. Loving yourself means being proud of your hard work and accomplishments, and knowing that you deserved it. Loving yourself is waking up everyday, ready to take on the world, and wanting to be the one who makes a difference in the lives of others. Loving yourself is being able to find the good in others, and having the ability to be accepting of the bad. Loving yourself is not comparing who you are to others, but being confident and supportive of others. Loving yourself brings so much true, genuine happiness with yourself and life, and I cannot emphasize enough how important this is.