It is no secret that the society we live in today uses appearances to determine the value of others. Because this is something we are all aware of, we know what people want or expect us to be. However, we rarely fit into this perfect mold created by society.  We force ourselves to conform and fit in, when we were all born so different. Accepting yourself for the lovely person you are is the first step to a life of self-made happiness.

It’s easy to feel like there’s something wrong with you if you don’t think what others think, like what others like, or look how others look. This is where we go wrong. There is nothing wrong with you; there’s nothing wrong with any part of you, but this idea of perfection leads you to believe that there is. You lose sight of who you are in the longing for who you think you ought to be. Remember, you are beautiful, you are one in seven billion and you are loved!

We often try to change because we believe it will be easier to be someone else than who we are meant to be. Don not try to fit into this idea of perfection because it is just that, an ideal. There is no such thing as perfection, instead there is only imperfection and that is where perfection lies. Love yourself for what you’ve got, not what you do not have.

One thing we all want in life is to be happy. We think that once we graduate high school or get a certain amount of followers on Twitter or get into the college of our dreams that we will achieve this. We so often forget that we can be happy at any point in time and the way to be happy is by loving yourself and having a positive outlook on life. It sounds stupid, like we can’t just make ourselves happy, when you can do just that.

I am not naive, and I know that for some it is a lot harder to love themselves than it is for others. However, it is possible, and you don’t need to be perfect to love yourself. I encourage you to do the following exercises every day: each time that you at yourself in the mirror, smile. By doing this, you begin to associate happy feelings to your physical self.  Understand that this is the body you will be living in for the rest of your life and appreciate what you were blessed with. Next, everyday, day write down one thing you like about yourself. It can be anywhere from your eye color to how you smile when you see a cute dog. Don’t write down the same thing for different days, that’s too easy. Lastly, get to know yourself. It sounds silly, but you are the only person in your life that you will be with all of the time. Get to know who you are, find things that make you happy, and do them often.

Loving yourself sounds a lot easier in theory, and it will take time. As they say, “the best things are worth the wait.”

Remember this: you do not need fit into society’s definitions, you need to do what makes you happy and in doing so, you will learn to love yourself. Believe and have faith in you.