So often we find ourselves scrolling through Instagram and catching ourselves wishing we had what someone else posted. It seems like every picture you see nowadays is a "candid" picture of this adorable couple that appears to have everything together.

It is so normal to want to be happy and even to be jealous of someone else. However, things on Instagram like that are not always what they seem.

People are constantly telling their friends how they wished they were "relationship goals" or how they wished they could get that many likes on a picture. So much so, that it's almost a requirement for a relationship to have an aesthetic element to make it good for posting.

I know that I'm guilty of being like those people. I always scroll through my pictures and find the cutest one to post so that I can get the greatest number of likes.

Why do we live our lives like that? Why do we value something as intimate as a relationship based off of likes on a social media site from people that are sometimes complete strangers?

The fact of the matter is, likes on an Instagram post don't matter. Whether you and your partner are "relationship goals" or not doesn't matter.

Likes on Instagram are simply things that society has programmed us to think matter. Your self-worth should never be based on the opinions of people staring at a screen.

Do what makes you happy. Find who makes you happy.

Those likes don't come anywhere close to being worth as much as your happiness. Take photos of what makes you happy, and I promise you'll like them enough for the rest of the world.