The most commonly told childhood romance story is none other than Cinderella. The idea that one day you will find your Prince Charming and you will live happily ever after has been engraved into our minds since we were young. The numerous spin-offs of the classic tale only feed our imaginations even more, making every girl dream of finding her own Prince Charming and falling in love.

Although this seems possible to our young, impressional minds as children, we grow up and life happens.

Unfortunately, as we grow up, we begin to see how brutal this world actually is. Reality begins to start to set in and these fairytales we've been told our whole lives fall into question. We are exposed to horrible things in relationships such as cheating and divorce. These kinds of things only clarify that life is NOT a Cinderella story.

This is OK.

Don't get me wrong, being in love sounds fantastic but the lesson we need to learn is that you cannot adequately love someone else unless you can love yourself first. Once you can love yourself, loving someone is so much easier.

That being said, I'm not sure a lot of people know what true love is. Anyone can show up and bring you flowers or your favorite candy. The most genuine form of love in our lives is the kind of love that is simple.

A simple kind of love is one that is only achieved in the little things you do for someone else. The things that show you're thinking of them, or that you care. These are things like the way you hold their hand or by saving the last piece of cake for that person.

Love isn't always perfect. It is not a fairytale or a storybook. Love is not easy. Love is an overwhelming amount of obstacles, facing challenges, and fighting. Together. Love is not practical. Love does not appear on command. It doesn't let you fall for whoever.

Love is far more than pictures displayed on social media.

Our Instagram explore pages are filled with seemingly perfect people in seemingly perfect relationships. These relationships that are displayed right in front of us depict another version of a Cinderella story. What needs to be remembered, is that social media and movies only show the good parts of love. It does not depict the hardships that come with love.

No one's life is a Cinderella story.

Everyone has their own story and their own history, but one thing remains the same across the board. Although the Cinderella story is not realistic, everyone deserves love and deserves to be loved unconditionally.