There are many people that you simply love because it has been given and you have returned. You love your mom and dad, brother, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cat and dog. You know they are just there for you, no matter what, even with the difficult aspects this life presents. That is how life is for most of us, right? Well, have you ever considered the people that may seem "difficult" to love. Maybe those people are the ones that are misunderstood or maybe they are just unsure of how to love themselves in general.

Everyone has always said that college will be the best years of your life. I used to laugh and say to myself, "no, surely not." Even when I started this adventure, I did not feel that way. Actually, here I am in the end of my fourth year and I finally realize these have been the best years of my life so far. Not because of what I have done or what I have encountered, but because in these years I have reflected on experiences in my life and learned a lot. One of the biggest accomplishments has been learning to love myself, because at the end of the day, that is all you have; who you are and who you want to be.

You cannot love someone until you learn to love yourself.

For a long time I have felt inadequate, that no matter what I have tried to do, it has never been enough. Every bad grade I have made has made me feel "stupid" and much less than my worth. Not pretty enough, not skinny enough, just insert (whatever you do not feel adequate in here) ______ enough. That is a gut wrenching feeling, but looking back, I was allowing myself to feel this way because of other peoples negativity. Other people and their opinions should never influence your own opinion about yourself. Opinions are like butt holes, everyone has one.

Childhood experiences shape your life.

Early in life, experiences begin to shape you. There are always people that impact your life, both in negative and positive manners. For some reason though, it is easier to pick out the bad over the good. In todays society, from the time you are born, you are always seeking approval from others, when in reality all you need to do is step back and see if what you did was enough for yourself. Just think about it, how many times as a child did you say "look mom, hey mom, mom, hello look what I can do" and your mother said "good job honey" for 98th time you did a cartwheel and fell on your face. Your mom was saying good job out of sheer approval and she was proud you were trying, probably annoyed she had seen you do the same thing over and over, but still approving. However, you stood there, repeatedly doing a cart wheel 98 times, knowing you were improving, but you kept asking. So why, why on this earth are we always seeking approval from others when we really need to just sit back and reflect upon ourselves?

You are the only thing that stands between yourself and the rest of your life.

If you constantly allow negative people to influence your life, you will end up with concrete covering your feet. You will never move, you will never succeed, you will not be the person you have dreamed of becoming. Life is precious and positive energy is the only way to go. Believe me, I have had enough experiences in my life to know that negativity pulls you no where but down.

The other night, someone told me how you feel about yourself is mostly your fault, because you are allowing others to influence your opinions of yourself. So tell yourself today, stand in front of the mirror. Define yourself and be the woman you are meant to be. No matter what experiences you have had in this life. Honey, you are and I would bet you are way more than enough.

You are enough, regardless of the "boy" that said you were not.

You are beautiful, no matter how many girls have called you "thick" or "ugly" in your teenage years.

You are one-of-a-kind, no matter who has told you were basic. People do not define you, you define yourself.

You are SMART. Who cares if you got a 68 on the test you studied 4 days for, a piece of paper does not define your self-worth.

You are a daughter, aunt, sister, girlfriend, wife, mother, grandmother or whatever your title may hold and that is beautiful within itself, it means people love you so you should love yourself.

You are the role model to a little girl.

You are funny and you are kind.

You deserve to be loved, always remember that.

Honey, you are wonderful and that should be enough for you to love yourself.

Never let someone influence you and your opinion of yourself. No one knows you, your relationship with God, the way you brush your teeth, or why you like cheeseburgers without a bun. No one understands the way you feel about drinking coffee in the morning or how much you adore the sunset. There is not one person that hears the thoughts that go through your mind, but you do. You know all of these things about yourself and guess what? They make you, you. So brush of the negative people, laugh at the ones who try to make you feel less, walk with grace, smile with kindness, and simply LOVE yourself.

No one else will understand who you truly are or the way you deserve to be loved, until you learn to love yourself.