It may sound corny but the best person to love you is you. Self love is so important in our lives and it is one aspect we all tend to overlook on a daily basis. With work, school, and all the complications that affect us, it is easy to forget to slow down and give yourself some special treatment.

Why is self love so important you may ask? Well, it's important because it is the foundation for how you interact and love other people. If you show yourself nothing but negativity, the people in your life will show you the same treatment. Again, it sounds corny, but if you cannot love yourself, how are you going to love someone else? Without a positive self image, you'll never be able to show love to anyone.

I'm not saying maintaining a positive self image is easy to do all the time. It's so easy to compare yourself to others and put yourself down because you're not pretty enough or smart enough or talented enough. I mean, you are your harshest critic. We are all guilty of tearing ourselves down until we cannot remember anything good and unique that makes us who we are. The key to self love is to remind yourself to stop comparing yourself to others. You are the only you there is and that is more than enough. If you're not yourself, you're depriving the world of your special light and that's just not fair!

It took me a long time to realize how important loving myself was. I was too preoccupied with fitting in and getting everyone's approval. For a long time I needed the green light from the world in order to know that I was doing the right thing. It made life really difficult because I was constantly checking to make sure I wasn't doing anything too out of the ordinary. I lost myself; I wasn't putting me first and was letting any negative comment effect how I lived my life. Then, when I went off to college and had to focus on passing my classes and gaining experience for applying to jobs, I stopped worrying about everyone's opinions. I realized that the only person I had to listen to was me. And, let me tell you, I have felt so much lighter without the weight of the world on my shoulders.

From now on, if you're ever feeling like you're not special or important or anything like that, read this article and list all of the good things about yourself. You are amazing. Don't forget that.