You are awesome

I don't think your teachers, your friends, and yourself, tell you that as often as you deserve to hear it. If they do, that's great! But if there's a voice inside your head that frequently tells you that you're not "good enough, good-looking enough, smart enough," then it's time to say, well, "enough!"

It's understandable to have self-doubt, because college is a time of extreme transition. We go from caterpillars, dependent on our guardian(s)' financial and emotional support, to butterflies who live on our own and have our own jobs. That's a big change, and where there is change there is growth. Growth is good: you don't want to be the same person at the end of college as you were at the end of high school. But while you're changing into that end-of-college you, it might be hard in the meantime to define who "you" are. But know this:

You are awesome.

My theology 101 professor told my class recently that all our experiences are unique, and to silence your voice or to nullify your opinions is to rob yourself of the chance to shape the world. He was referring to our theological perspectives, but the message holds true for our non-theological experiences as well.

There is no one in the entire universe like you. You are priceless, and so your opinions are priceless as well. There will always be those who tell you that your opinions don't matter. They fail to realize though, that you are the only person in the cosmos that believes exactly the way you do. So your opinions matter. What if the Wright Brothers thought their opinions didn't matter? We might not be able to fly to Hawaii, and that would be sad.

Speaking of sad, there's this societal expectation that we have to be happy all the time. If someone asks you, "how are you?" you're expected to say "good." What would happen if we all answered honestly? The world might just burn to the ground. Or perhaps our interactions might go something like this:

Aaron: "How are you?"

Alexander: "Honestly, I just tripped up the stairs in front of my crush, and spilled my expensive coffee all over my favorite shirt, so I've been better."

Aaron: "Oh man, I'm sorry! I've been there. Would you like to get coffee after class to replace the one you lost?"

Alexander: "Sure, sounds good!"

Not all interactions will go exactly like that, but my point is we all have emotions. Despite our best attempts to act "cool," we have all been embarrassed. We have all spilled a drink on ourselves, so we know how it feels when someone else does that same thing. Yes, negative emotions suck. But with those negative emotions comes empathy. Aaron felt empathetic toward Alexander, and so offered to get coffee with him. As a result, Alexander probably had a better day, just because he answered honestly.

Expressing your emotions doesn't make you weak, or socially inept, it makes you human. And because you are human,

You are awesome.

You have the power to make the world a better place, just by existing. Be it on a grand scale, like starting a charity or joining the peace corps, to a small scale, like holding the door open for someone, or buying a friend coffee. As Siri said, "we are all connected to the universe and to each other." We all have within us the ability to make a lasting difference in our communities, simply by being our awesome selves. And

You are awesome.

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. If you want that habit to be positive self talk, the best way is to voice out loud an upbeat mantra like, "You are awesome." It might be difficult at first, but the more you affirm your awesomeness, the more you start to truly believe it. After all, you deserve to feel good about yourself. Even if you're still figuring out who "you" are,

You are awesome.

Even when you do something embarrassing,

You are awesome.

Even if you don't think you make a difference,

You are awesome.

To make up for all the times someone else made you feel badly about yourself, or you worried you weren't "good enough,"

You are awesome!

You are also intelligent, and beautiful, and handsome, and unique, and loved, and funny, and talented, and strong, and important. You matter beyond what words can describe. There is only one you and, besides defy the laws of physics, you can do anything you set your mind to. Because you are, truly,

Awesome.