"I'd take being soul food over being eye candy any day" — Anonymous

Thinking back to when I was 15: Being "pretty" was such a large priority when I was younger. Gaining confidence from compliments on appearance became something that at the time I thought gave me life. Whether it was attention cravings being satisfied or being a typical young girl, that's what I desired when I was 15.

Thinking back to when I was 17: Being someone who set myself up for a great future became a huge priority. With college in mind, I found myself prioritizing school work and soccer (to play in college) to be the highest on my list. While relationships with my friends and family didn't exactly fail, they were put at the bottom of my list as important. Whether it was an excitement about my future or being strong-willed, that's what I desired when I was 17.

Now that I'm an adult: Being beautiful isn't the largest priority on my list, and neither is setting myself up for a "perfect" future. The largest thing that's overwhelmed my mind is making a positive impact on others.

Positivity, defined: By "positive" I do not mean in any manner acting as if everything is perfect and we should be happy all the time. I mean by making sure that each time a person leaves an interaction with me they are never feeling worse than when it started. Hopefully, they're feeling better.

If we're genuinely only on earth for such a small period of time, why would you want to put a damper on another human's existence? When I hit a point where I feel like I've outgrown someone due to their presence bringing me down, then it's time to realize this person will have to learn on their own what they want out of life: because it varies from my own personal desires.

Once you become consumed with the desire to have interactions that result in a better you, you'll start to notice that all of the other things don't matter quite as much as they used to. That new designer purse you were craving to show off to your friends because it's a designer brand like Michael Kors? It becomes more irrelevant. The idea that you need to be perfect all the time to keep a certain image? It fades because you realize what you crave isn't a fake image, but a real life.

The cravings to be popular, to look flawless all the time, and to gain artificial things that mean nothing really won't be the things you look back on when you're older. If anything, they'll be the things you regret caring so much about.

The cravings to inspire others with your mind, to touch other souls with your good heart, to find a real and truthful love will satisfy you and fill you with life more than these tangible items and temporary excitements.

Sure, attraction and money are important. But what's the point of being surrounded by people where you constantly lust over their image versus genuinely loving who they are as people?

Would you rather live a life full of an obsession with image, or a life consumed by endearing substance? It seems to be a simple question to answer, but at times we all could be reminded a little bit more out of what really gives us satisfaction and what gives us pride.