The other day while driving in my car, a good friend of mine exclaimed, "I'm all that and a bag of chips!" She then followed up with a laugh and said she was just kidding.

At the time I didn't think much of it. She was just being silly. But why did she need to be joking? If I may say so myself, she is all that and a bag of chips AND a soda AND a cookie. She is one of the most positive people I know. She lends a hand in every situation, and she's become one of the most inspirational independent people I know.

Then I wondered why people feel the need to humble themselves. No one likes someone who goes around bragging and we all know that guy who isn't shy about tooting his own horn. But I don't think there's anything wrong with knowing your worth or owning your talents.

So in case you haven't said it out loud, heard it in a while, or felt like it lately, I'm here to say:

"You're all that and a bag of chips!"

But you should also know:

You are talented.

People struggle a lot day in and day out trying to figure out what they are good at. In general I think that what you're best at is something you're already doing, not something you need to discover. If you run every morning, maybe it's running, or maybe it's being motivated. If you love to play board games with your family, maybe that's because you're good at solving puzzles, finding weird ways of coming out on top, or know how to play your cards strategically. A lot of people seem to think that if they aren't good at the obvious talents such as singing, dancing, drawing, etc. then they just aren't very talented and that isn't true. If you're having a hard time figuring it out, ask yourself, "What do I love to do?" Make a list of things you are good at. If that's pranking your younger sibling, it still counts. When all else fails, don't hesitate to ask the people around you.

You are loved.

It seems to me that we go through periods of time either hearing the words "I love you" rarely or way too much depending on who we have surrounded ourselves with. It's important to know and feel that you are loved regardless of the current circle you might be in. Whether you're hearing the phrase so many times that it's begun to sound cheesy or you've thought about adopting a puppy because at least he will give you kisses, it doesn't matter. You are loved. Accept it. Embrace it.

You are capable.

Most of us can agree there's so much we want to do and there's so little time to do it. Knowing that, however, isn't always enough to get us going. While that thought is intended to encourage people to get started, it might actually discourage us with the idea that if we're going to run out of time anyway why even start? Start because there is time, start because you'll feel good about it and even better about finishing, start because you are capable now. There's no feeling quite like that of checking something rewarding off of your to-do list.