We all go through times when we are down on ourselves or feel like we aren't good enough. It is hard to stop comparing our lives to those around us. Whether that's the fit girl at the gym, the “perfect-looking" girl on Instagram who gets 500+ likes, or the girl you see at Starbucks with the cute, expensive outfit. When we see these things we start to think...

“Well I could lose 20 pounds and then I'd be happy."

“I could break down and spend a lot of money to edit my photos and then I would get more likes and followers."

“If I splurge on this sweater maybe that perfect guy would notice me because of my outfit."

It's hard to not feel insecure when we compare ourselves to people we view as “perfect."

Why can't we be happy with ourselves the way we are? Sure, we could lose weight, but what happens when we find a skinnier girl on Instagram? Do we lose more weight? It's a never-ending cycle.

There are so many women who look down on themselves because that is what society has taught us. Looking at the perfect filters, or seemingly photoshopped bodies on Instagram often makes women think they don't have the perfect body image, or that they need to now change everything about themselves.

I am guilty of contemplating for hours on what my caption should be and if I picked the perfect, "Insta-worthy pic." But honestly, I am so tired of it. Don't be afraid to not look perfect because God did not intend for us to be. It's time to realize you are good enough exactly how God created you.

It took me 22 years and so many wasted tears to realize I was comparing my behind the scenes with someone else's highlight reel.

I would spend so much time scrolling through social media wondering why I couldn't look the way she did. This made me insecure not only in myself but in my past relationships. I would always wonder why the guys I dated were with me when they could be with her. I fed myself with so much negative talk I started to believe it. I didn't think I could ever be good enough for a great, godly man.

No one can be you and you cannot be anyone else. You are good enough just the way you are. Don't waste your energy comparing yourself to others. Stop being so infatuated with tearing yourself down. Stop being okay with saying "I'm so ugly."

Stop hurting yourself with negative talk and start loving yourself for the way you are.

Finally, I realized the life we long to live begins with our thoughts. If we want a change in our lives, it starts with a change in the way we think...in the way we talk to ourselves. I recently promised myself to live by this phrase: “What I put in my thought closet I will wardrobe my life with." Yeah, read that again and let it really sink in. Kick the negative self talk out of your thought closet and start filling it with God's truth.