We live in a time when the media tells us how to dress, what to eat, how to act—and the list keeps going. It’s easy for someone to get caught up in this materialistic world where we focus on our flaws instead of seeing our true selves.

The reality is, we are all different, and different is a good thing. We should not be afraid to be ourselves; instead, we should embrace our unique characteristics because we only have one life to live.

Loving yourself is the most important attribute someone can have. This is not gender-specific because we all deserve to be happy, and being happy comes from within. Realizing the love you have for yourself allows for a lot of self-reflection, and it will be life-changing, I promise!

As individuals, we need to love ourselves on our best and our worst of days. The way we look at ourselves may be different but positive reflections can go a long way. By loving ourselves, we realize that we do not seek approval from others. We do not have to be people-pleasers, because the only one who needs to be pleased is ourselves. We cannot forget about our own happiness.

We all have insecurities and things we wish we could change about ourselves, but let's learn to embrace them. I have come to the conclusion that truly loving yourself means accepting your imperfections.

Understanding that not being the perfect weight, nor having the perfect smile, nor dressing a certain way or hanging with the "popular" crowd does not define who you are. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is how you feel about yourself. There is not only one way to be beautiful. It only means that we must find beauty within—without comparing ourselves to some societal standard.

Loving yourself means finding out what makes you truly happy. Regardless of what people may think of a certain hobby or your job, it should not matter if it is something that you love about yourself.

We need to learn to accept that not everybody is going to like us. Throughout life, we will come across humans we may disagree with, but we must know that it is okay and a normal evolution of life. In order to seek love from within, we need to surround ourselves with those who are uplifting and positive.

Most importantly, learn to love yourself before you love others. A relationship is filled with imperfections and self-doubt. It’s a work in progress but having the appreciation for your own self-worth before falling for someone else reflects on the type of person you are. How do you expect someone else to think you are totally awesome, without thinking it yourself first?

I hope that after reading this, you see the importance in loving yourself unconditionally. Be unique, be crazy—but more importantly, just be yourself.