This is for all the girls who still haven't found that one special person in their life, but that's totally okay.

All throughout high school, I wondered why everyone was finding who they thought they could spend 'forever' with and I wasn't. I wondered what was so wrong with me that no one wanted to be with me, couldn't see themselves with me. I thought I was funny and easy to get along with. But I guess that's just not what guys were looking for. Every night, I would look in the mirror and figure I just wasn't pretty enough to have a boyfriend, I wasn't skinny enough. I thought I had to become all these things before someone could like me.

It wasn't until my senior year of high school that I realized I didn't need a boy to make me happy. This realization came to me when my best friend was crying about another guy not liking her back, saying the same things about herself that I often thought about myself. That she wasn't pretty or skinny enough for someone to ever love her. As I normally am, I was a better life coach for her than I am for myself. I told her that she didn't need a man to make her happy. I told her she was gorgeous and whoever couldn't see that was a fool. I told her to love herself and focus on bettering her before changing to meet someone else's standards.

It was in that moment that I realized I should be taking my own advice. I should listen to what I tell everyone else and apply it to me. I started trying to better myself, eat healthier, drink more water, perfect my makeup and hair. It took a long time, many nights of crying when I thought of giving up. There were many nights where I didn't see the point in what I was doing. However, through focusing on myself, who I am already, instead of trying to meet the ridiculous standards set for women everywhere, I saw myself as beautiful. It was a long road, but I began to embrace my body for the way it is, and saw that I didn't need a man to feel good about myself. I made myself feel good.

While everyone was with their boyfriends or girlfriends, I had my best friend. We went to the movies together, to dinner together, worked out together. We lifted one another's spirits when the other was down. We were there for each other through probably one of the difficult paths in life: self acceptance.

Although my journey is not over yet, I am in a great place with myself. I know now that I am prepared for whenever I do find 'the one'. I know I will be able to love and embrace them fully because I have done the same to myself. They will accept me for me just as I have. I feel it is important to love who you are before searching for someone you can see yourself spending a long time with. While love between partners is important and special, loving yourself is even more beautiful.