For all of middle and high school, I always felt small in comparison to my peers. I thought so highly of everyone else, but if I were asked to describe myself in a few words, I would use incredibly negative ones. I didn't know the power of self-love or its worth.

Going into college, I began to realize what I have to offer the world, and the only thing holding that back is myself. If you start to believe in yourself, amazing things can happen. I began to flourish in so many things, all because I realized it was okay to love myself.

As a society, although we are progressing, self-love is somewhat of a taboo topic. We say it in our tweets, in our Facebook posts and our Instagram captions, but when we actually try to execute these feelings in the real world, it falls flat.

Loving yourself is not a competition, nor is it just about physical appearance. It is about every molecule, fiber, and atom that makes you, you. It is accepting your mistakes, odd mannerisms, your way of thinking, your views and intelligence and loving every bit of it. It's not about being better than someone else; it is about accepting who you are and building upon that. Without a strong foundation, everything else proceeds to crash; if you do not believe in your ability to accomplish, then you are unable to succeed.

This, like most things in life, is easier said than done. I can sit here and say how amazing it is to love yourself, but without the execution of those reading it, it falls flat. This is a process and takes an infinite amount of time. Self-love is something that never stops growing and improving.

We are plants in this crazy world, and we are also the people who take care of them. With enough water, sunshine and TLC, I believe anyone can achieve the greatness they've dreamed of their whole life through accepting who they are. Once you take care of yourself, anything can happen. I believe in you so, so much; you should, too.

For anyone who thinks that your self-love is vain, tell them where the door is. There is never enough love you can give yourself, and never enough love that someone can give to you.