Learning to love myself | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

When I learned to love the girl in the mirror

I had to learn happiness within.

138
When I learned to love the girl in the mirror
Taylor Werges

I like the color yellow. The color yellow just makes me happy.

But I would never know that's my favorite color because just a few years ago, I never stopped to look in the mirror. I did not know who I was or what set my soul on fire. I was a boy crazy 13-year old who never put her self first. I thought I needed a boy to make me happy. I just couldn't find happiness within myself. I would settle for way less then I deserved and I made myself small. I know it hurt my parents to watch and it angered my sister that I never loved myself. At this time, I was incapable of loving myself. The process of learning to love the person within took a lot longer than learning who I was.

Freshmen year of high school, I was wide-eyed and very ambitious. I had found something I loved and I ran with it. Someone told me "well why don't you slow down and just focus on this small thing?" He did not say it to help me, but rather bring me down. That is when I learned I was ambitious and driven. I loved that no one could slow me down. That year I had accomplished so much and broke past the barrier. This was the year I learned what I liked and who I was. Looking back I realized that was the first thing I did that made ME happy. However, at times it wasn't enough.

After I discovered who I was, I still had trouble learning to love myself. I struggled with the concept that I didn't need a man. When I was in eighth grade, my sister gave me a letter that said "open when you learn you don't need a man to make you happy." It was my sophomore year and I still hadn't opened it. I was getting close but I wasn't there yet. I knew God and myself were the only ones who could make me feel whole and happy but I needed to feel it.

Fast forward almost four years later, I learned to truly love who I was, so when I opened the letter. It felt like a breath of fresh air or like I was blind then I gained clarity. I found that only I could only set my soul on fire. I grew closer to God and I loved life. I became whole not because of a boy but because of something I did. Over time I became strong and a force of nature that was unstoppable.

I began to love myself and I knew myself. I knew I wanted to be happy and I loved how it felt to just be happy because of me. Thanks to God I learned happiness shines through even when you don't see it coming. I gained wisdom to know that when I feel empty I must turn to God.

Learning to love the person in the mirror not because someone says so but because you feel it isn't easy. It takes time and lots of thinking. Don't love someone else life and try to live like them because of we all live life but not the same life. Also, don't beat yourself up over past mistakes because it took me forever to learn you are not your mistakes.

Going through this I was not alone I had a God above who saw my beauty before I could talk and he waited for me to see it. I thank God for who I am

When you learn that only you make YOU happy, you'll begin to live life and love the life that is your own.


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
girl with santa hat
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

'Tis the season to be jolly folks, and if you're anything like me, then at the stroke of midnight on Halloween your home went from wicked to winter

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

5 Things To Do That Are Better Than Writing A Paper

Don't waste your time trying to write that paper when there are so many more interesting things you could be doing.

10396
computer keyboard
Unsplash

Writing a paper is never fun and is rarely rewarding. The writer's block, the page requirement, be specific, but don’t summarize, make sure you fixed any grammatical errors, did you even use spellcheck? and analyze, analyze, analyze.

Papers can be a major pain. They take up so much time and effort that by the end of the process you hate yourself and you hate the professor for making life so difficult. Questions of your existence start roaming in your mind. Am I even cut out for college if I can’t write a single paper? Am I even capable of taking care of myself if I lack the energy to open my laptop and start typing?

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons Why Sisters Are The Best

Who could be a better friend than your own sister?

6229
sisters
Taylor Hooper

I can barely remember back when I was the only child. Most would say it’s because it is extremely difficult to remember things as a toddler but I would say it's because I was bored until my sister came along. My mother always says how important the "sister bond" is and with every year that passes I realize how right she is. Instead of writing a novel about all of the wonderful things there are about having a sister I decided to list a few of them instead.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

How To Adult

You're gonna make it after all.

6436
how to adult
Twitter

It is the time of our lives that we are beginning to enter the adult world and most of us, if not all of us, have no idea what we are doing. It's like starting a video game, but skipping the tutorial. We're all just running around aimlessly hoping we accidentally do something right that moves us along the right path. Now that graduation has just happened, or is right around the corner for some of us, it's time to start thinking about how we are going to take care of ourselves once we are on our own.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

7 Signs You're A Starbucks Addict

I'll be the first one to admit I'm addicted to Starbucks.

4068
drinking coffee
Tumblr

If you’re anything like me, you love a good cup of coffee. My coffee always comes from Starbucks; I refuse to drink it from anywhere else. Over the years, it’s become one of my biggest addictions. So, if you are aware that you’re a Starbucks addict as well, or maybe you need to check to see if you’re an addict, here are seven ways to tell.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments