I want to have a goal of being more body positive this year. I know that it is VERY typical to want to work out religiously and become a vegetarian when the new year begins. Besides working out and eating right, I want to work on another, internal aspect.

Your body will thank you for the way you treat it; that includes the way you talk about/to it. I know all girls can relate this situation: looking in the mirror stretching, pulling, sucking in certain parts of our bodies that we hate and wishing we weren’t born the way we were. It stinks that I know this situation all too well because I do it all the time.

I have always prided myself on being a size 3 in juniors jeans. I could even squeeze myself into a 0-1 if they were stretchy enough. But I went jean shopping recently, and I wind up having to go up two sizes. My initial thought was that I was devastated. I was no longer skinny. I was no longer a “small” size.

But how stupid is that? What’s wrong with not being skinny? I learned that I had been conditioning myself to think that size matters. Society has been setting the standards for what we will consider beautiful and pretty when it should be the other way around.

Smaller size = prettier girl = happier girl

By all means, I am not trying to bash the skinny girls. I just bashing the idea that we should all look like you guys. It’s just so illogical when girls come in all different shapes and sizes. Whatever size you are, you should not be ashamed. Let’s have good and equal representation of everyone.

So mentally, I want to start over and be more body positive about myself. I find it easier to compliment other girls and tell them, “You're beautiful just the way you are!” but can't even form my mouth to say the same statement to myself.

If you are reading this, I challenge you to only say positive things to yourself when it comes to your body. We all have flab and flaws, in which we must learn how to accept both. If you’re a healthy woman at a size 11, you don’t have to work out to squeeze yourself into a size 1.

The mind is a powerful thing. It will take your idea of reality and run with it. So let’s be smart about what thoughts we give our mind concerning our bodies.