Growing up, I've never really acknowledged the concept of self-love. It wasn't until I reached high school, that I became more aware of it and realized how important self-love truly is.

For the most part, I've always been comfortable and content with the person I am. I've always loved the person I was. However, I remember during my freshman year of high school, I would put myself down a lot and felt like I didn't really belong because of how I was as a person. Though, as I went through high school, I progressively started to gain more confidence and appreciation for myself. I started to feel comfortable in my own skin.

It wasn't until I began going through different experiences and typical teenage dilemmas, that truly made me realize my value.

I had my fair share of hardships and of course along with those experiences, came lessons. During each of those lessons, I learned a lot more about myself as an individual.

After enduring such heart ache amid these experiences, I reflected a lot. I became more mindful of who I was as an individual and was more conscious of the person I was becoming. I became more accepting of myself. I became more appreciative of the person I am. Overall, I saw things in myself that I couldn't see before.

From that moment on, I couldn't be happier with who I was and the person I continued to grow into.

That feeling of being comfortable and in touch with yourself is something special and valuable. As cliche as it sounds, you feel a sense of release.

I hoped and wondered if other's would get a chance feeling this way. Something about being content with yourself as a person and knowing your value is such an uplifting and empowering feeling.

Although I discovered self-love, I believe I haven't reached the full potential of it. In the beginning, I had the impression that I was truly in touch with myself. Now that I'm in college, things have been an emotional roller coaster and I've climbed more mountains this time around than I did in the past. But don't get me wrong, I'm still content with the person I am. However, I know everyday I continue to grow and I feel like there's still something out there within me I haven't quite found yet.

Moral of the story, if you're searching for acceptance within yourself, the best way to begin this self-love journey, is recognizing your value and characteristics. Essentially, what do you like about yourself, what qualities define you, and how do you think people view you?

While doing some reflecting, you'll start to realize the good and bad qualities, which is okay! You'll then appreciate your good qualities and take pride in them. After, you'll begin accepting yourself for who you are and what you are.

Lastly, you just have to master the art of letting go and letting yourself grow. Let go of the things that don't serve you a purpose and grow from them. A part of self-love is about knowing what is best for you and your well being.

Everyone deserves unconditional love, especially from within your own self. With that, you'll continue to shine.