Growing up in a generation where everything is based off of approval is hard. We sadly live in a time where how many Instagram likes you receive on a picture can determine how pretty you are, or how many friends you have. Social media has portrayed such distorted views for young men and women all over the world as to what "pretty" or "skinny" really looks like.This is just sad and wrong in so many ways. When I was a young girl, I was always so self-conscious of how I looked and was never happy with the reflection starring back at me in the mirror. I was always so worried about what people thought about me, or if they liked me, or if they thought I was cute or skinny or nice...honestly, you name it, I was probably worried about it.

As I've gotten older, I have learned why it is SO IMPORTANT to love yourself unconditionally no matter what anyone thinks of you. The world is a rough place, and we live in an even rougher society. People will judge you, say mean things to you and about you, but you have all the power in the world to either let that break you or make you even stronger. I have learned that when you truly learn to love and accept yourself for all of your flaws and perfections and all your positives and negatives, that is when other people's opinions of you won't matter anymore. And once people's approvals don't matter anymore, it truly does feel liberating. Once you accept yourself for who you are, you will become a much happier person.

It is absolutely true that you cannot let someone else love you until you learn to love yourself first. Treat yourself, spoil yourself, surprise yourself and do things you once told yourself you could never do. Once you learn to do that and truly love yourself for who you are, someone else will be able to love you just as much. Everyone has their flaws, no one is perfect, I can promise you that and that's OK, because that's what makes you, you. Confidence will always look better on a person than dissatisfaction. We are the only ones responsible for what we do in life, who we are and what we become—and because of that, there truly is no time to neglect ourselves.

It's not always easy to be happy with the person you are and it definitely is a process, but once it is achieved, it'll change the world around you. You will see things differently, experience things differently and enjoy life more than you ever did before. It has taken me 19 years of my life to finally look at myself in the mirror and be happy with who I am as a person, and it wasn't an easy road. My life has just begun and I cannot wait to see what my future has in store for me.

Give it a try, love yourself, treat yourself and be happy because you do deserve it. I can promise you that when you finally learn to be happy with the person staring back at you in the mirror, that is when your life will start. And if you don't believe me now, I hope one day you do, because unconditionally loving yourself is such an amazing feeling.