Loving yourself is an art. To be honest, it is an art that I have yet to master. I know one day I will.

I’ve made progress. I used to hate my awkward smile, my frizzy hair, and my nervous ticks. I wanted so desperately to fit in. I wanted to have smooth blonde hair and tan skin and have those perfect nails that every girl on Instagram manages to have. I was so focused on what other people have, that I forgot to embrace myself for who I am.

If everyone fit in, then no one would stand out. I know it sounds cliché, but it is so true. We need originality. We need the people who aren’t afraid to embrace themselves. Imagine how great the world would be if everyone learned to love how different they are? All the awkwardness, all the weirdness, all of the quirks and kinks…we could just be a great band of weirdos. We could rule the world.

The thing is, normal is such a relative term. We are all different…some people are just better at hiding it than others. Personally, I couldn’t be “normal” if my life depended on it. But that’s okay! I am different, and I love it. I have so many things to love about myself. I shouldn’t focus on what I don’t have because chances are there is someone else doing the exact same thing. Maybe there is someone out there wishing they had massive curly hair. Maybe there is someone out there wishing that they could be passionate about writing? You never know.

It is still a work in progress. I still tend to be hard on myself and wish that I could do certain things better. Sometimes I cry because I feel like I am not good enough. I still have my days where I feel like I hit rock bottom. Sometimes I wish that I could be “normal” just for one day. Just one day of things going really well and really easy for me. But that is never going to happen, because that simply doesn't. The thing that matters is that I always get back up. No matter what, we have to remember to always get back up – no matter how long it takes.

I am awkward, and it is pretty funny. It kind of breaks the tension in the room when I am the first person to laugh at myself. I can make people feel at ease. I am good at making people laugh because I embrace my quirks. That’s pretty cool. My hair is bigger than my personality. Really. It’s huge. I used to straighten it every day, but now I refuse to tame the mane. I keep my nails clean and short because I play piano and guitar. Sure, my nails are never going to be #goals, but I can play music! I am not like other people. I’m weird as hell. But I love it.