Self-love isn’t my first romance, but it is by far my greatest one. Me, myself and I go through our ups and downs together—we have one roller coaster of a romance—but at the end of the day it’s the only love I can truly count on. At the end of the day I am always there to pick up the pieces of myself and fit them back together. I am a puzzle that only I can solve.

I am the only one who can truly, 100%, appreciate every tantalizing curve of my body. I am the only one who can look in the mirror and say “damn girl, you are killing it in those jeans.” I am the only one who can run my fingers along my thunder thighs and smile at all my womanhood. Nobody can appreciate me quite like me.

Nobody can reach into the depths of my brain and find the confidence that lies within me. Nobody can crack into my bones to find my strength. Nobody can squeeze their way into my heart to find the love that it bears. Only I can feel all the beauty that lies within me.

Learning to love myself was a maze, and it took me years to find the way out. I climbed over mountains to smile at my reflection in the mirror, crossed rivers to find my inner strength and fought battles to win my own love… only to find the exit to maze had been right in front of me all along.

I had that very love right inside of me all along, buried under heaps of opinions and judgments from everyone else but me. The moment you stop letting others tell you who you are, is the moment you find yourself. As my mother once said to me, “Don’t let others define you, remember who you are.” That is the key to self-love.

Whenever you are feeling like you aren’t good enough for someone else—not smart enough, not good looking enough, not kind enough—remember who YOU are, because you are the only one who can define yourself. Next time you look in the mirror, compliment yourself. Next time you go to sleep, give yourself a pat on the back for being strong enough to face whatever challenges you did that day. Next time you love someone, remind yourself of who you are and all the love that you deserve. Above all, always remember that the greatest romance you will ever have is with yourself. (: