“Learn to love yourself like no one else will ever do it better. Because no one will.”

~ Anonymous

Loving yourself is one of the hardest things to do in life. We depend too much on others to make us happy and in the end we are the ones who get hurt. It makes us feel selfless and sometimes question our self-worth. We pick ourselves up, or at least try to, with the help of our friends and family, but it’s a constant cycle of getting hurt. Until you can make yourself happy without depending on others, this cycle will be one that never stops.

My whole life I’ve depended on others to make me happy. And at some times it’s okay and we need to. I know that my friends and family are all there to help me succeed in life and to make me a better person, so for that I’m thankful. But throughout the years I’ve realized that if I didn’t have anyone else in my life to make me happy, I never would be.

I’ve let boys dictate my happiness way too much. Whenever I’d meet a new guy and we’d start talking I would get butterflies, wouldn’t be able to stop smiling, and think about a potential future. I’d open up to that person and they would here and there, and whenever we’d hang out it would be amazing; I was happier than ever. But when the talking became distant and hanging out no longer became a thing, I’d become sad and feel worthless. I put too much time and effort into someone who didn’t return the favor. I’d tell myself that I wouldn’t put my happiness into the hands of others because I’ll end up like this. But I was wrong, and would do the exact same thing every time I’d start talking to a new boy.

But there was one person who changed that for me and to him, all I can say is thank you. Our relationship, or what lasted of it, was the best thing I could imagine. I had never felt so happy and wanted, because I had never experienced it. I’d smile whenever your name would appear on my phone and my day would instantly get better because we were talking. You’d always encourage me and help me become a better person. You’d tell me how beautiful I was and you’d make sure I knew it too. You always knew how to cheer me up when I was having a bad day, or you’d make my good days even better. When I saw you smile it made me smile even more, so much that my cheeks would hurt. I’d get butterflies in my stomach every time we’d talk and you made my heart race like no other. But most of all you brought out the best in me, something I didn’t show to others.

Like all relationships though, they come to an end. You became distant and that’s when I realized this was all too good to be true. You called things off in the end and I was heartbroken. Something so new, so exciting, a breath of fresh air, was gone. I had never met someone like you, someone who knew who to treat me the way I deserve, so when things were over, it felt like my heart was ripped out. Sometimes I think I’ll never meet someone as amazing as you. But I know that with time I’ll meet that special someone.

No matter how much pain and heartache I went through, I realized that I depended on others too much to make me happy. You made me realize that I need to make myself happy before I begin any sort of relationship. You made me realize that my self-worth is worth something. I know that I have so much to offer, but I give it to the wrong people.

“Learn to love yourself like no one else will ever do it better. Because no one will.”

After years of trying to make myself happy through others, years of going through heartache and pain, I have finally made myself happy. Not depending on my friends, not depending on my family, but depending on myself. And it’s one of the best feelings in the world. It feels like everything bad that has happened through the years has led me to this point. And it was all worth it. I wake up every morning telling myself how amazing I am and to continue to be the person that I’ve finally known to love. I tell myself that I won’t put my happiness before others because it will just rip me apart. I have become a stronger person now that I’ve made myself happy. I now know what I deserve and want in life, and I thought that I’d never reach that place.