A few days ago, I put on a swimsuit in excitement to get in a pool for the first time this summer. I looked in the mirror at the body that has taken years of training, dedication, sweating, and sacrifice to get, and began pulling at the fat in places I wished there were none to pull at. Very quickly my excitement turned into frustration.

My hips are too big.
My back is too fat.
If I could just lose a little more here it’d be perfect.
If my stomach was a little longer this swimsuit would look so much better.

I stepped away from the mirror and toward the pool unprepared to walk outside in front of others where my insecurities were highlighted by sunlight and a string bikini. Suddenly the pool didn’t sound so fun, and because of fictional, demeaning, untrue lies the world has burned into my thoughts, having fun was the last thing on my mind.

We all have stood in front of that mirror poking and pulling at parts of our bodies we wished we could change. We have all scrolled through Instagram and stared at the bodies of girls in wonder of what it must be like to wake up like that. We have compared ourselves to the models, actresses, and even friends we are surrounded by every day. We have been made to believe that we are not allowed to love our bodies until they are good enough to strut down a Victoria’s Secret runway. Ladies, please hear me when I tell you this: Your body, no matter its size, length, dimensions, or weight, is a miraculous creation that exudes strength and beauty.

Maybe you aren’t where you want to be. Maybe your doctor has looked you in the eye and told you that you’re unhealthy and need to lose weight. Maybe you’ve tried what seems like 100 diets and nothing is working. Maybe you’ve worked hard for the body you have, but still feel as though it’s not enough. Truth is, you will never become healthy, or fit, or reach any goal of yours until you look yourself in the mirror, stare at the parts of your body you can’t bear to look at, and love those imperfections as they are in that moment. When you learn to love your body, you being to love yourself. And when you love yourself, that is when wonderful change can begin.

As summer begins and it feels as though you can’t possibly wear that swimsuit, wear it anyway. When you want to use your hands to cover up the insecurities that you believe everyone can see, fill your hands with the sand of the beach instead. When you look over and want to start competing with the body of the girl next to you, start competing with the person you were yesterday and make sure you’re better than who they were. When you want to cry after looking at yourself in the mirror, surround yourself with what makes you happy and radiate joy instead.

You can spend the rest of your life hating your body. You can spend the rest of your life drowning in the idea that your body will never be good enough. You can hold yourself back from opportunities that have the potential to fill your life with bliss and exhilaration simply because you have been fed a lie that you’re not allowed to be secure in the body you have. You can do those things, or you can stare down those lies and say: “Not this summer.” Once you do that, you can swim in that ocean, you can flaunt that swimsuit, you can prevent the lies of this world from keeping you from the joys this summer has in store, and you can start to embrace every imperfection that makes you the lovely human that you are.