Society has made being a woman hard in this day and age. It's created visions of unattainable beauty, filled with tall and skinny models whose jobs it is to be that tall and skinny. Only five percent of the world’s population actually possess the characteristics that have become the conventional beauty standard. Why, then, do women push themselves so hard to be the size of those models and not happy? That feeling comes from a critical eye developed as women grow older.

Something trending on Facebook has broken down some of these visions. There is a video of a father with his young daughter standing in front of a mirror, repeating back affirmations of self-love and empowerment. It has caught so much attention because it is a grown man letting a girl know that it is okay to love herself, breaking down the patriarchal beliefs that women are meant to please men and not themselves.

So, here are my own affirmations:

I am a woman. My color and heritage are my pride. I am proud of my mind, soul, and body. I have power in my pen and strength in my hands. My words carry meaning, and my actions cause ripples. I carry influence, and I do it with poise and optimism. I do not let negativity affect me, for I am stronger than ugly thoughts. I am proud of my accomplishments, and I look forward to what more I can accomplish. I keep my goals high with faith in myself to reach them and to break barriers.

My happiness is my beauty. I go to the gym because I am happy with my healthy body, not because I hate it. I work out for the sweat and for my anxiety. I have a bikini body at every weight because anybody with a bikini on it is a bikini body. There are no limits to what clothes I wear. I love to accent my broad shoulders, my larger thighs, and all the curves that make me a woman.

I do not need to depend on someone else for my happiness because I am an independent woman. I am humble in all of my possessions, for I have a lot more than some who only dream of what I have. I acknowledge my privilege and do what I can to help others. Respect for others starts with respect for myself, and that is my daily goal. I am not perfect, but it’s those little imperfections that make me a masterpiece, a work to behold.

I was made for this world, for all situations I am put in. I was made to achieve what no one has yet and to break barriers. I was made to live and love without limits, and that means loving myself without limits. I am a woman, and I am more than enough.

Read these affirmations to yourself in your mirror or make your own. Remember that you are more than enough and that no one can tell you otherwise, not even yourself. Perfection is a figment of imagination in our society’s mind. There is nothing that anyone cannot achieve. We tear each other down, only to tear ourselves down, as well. The change must start with you as a person. Allow your love to radiate and spread.

If you do not see yourself creating your own mantra, here is where I found inspiration for mine.