"Beauty cannot be defined by looks
There are many other factors
Determination and Moral
Smiling and Laughing
Faith and Honesty
Diversity
Elegance
Secrets
Joy"
- Mikayla Poindexter, 2016

The above is a poem I wrote in the 11th grade. A time when I didn't care about the opinion of those around me. What people said and thought of me didn't matter to me because I knew who I was and I was confident in my own inner and outer beauty.

But then I changed, I got older but I definitely didn't get wiser. They say that as we get older we are suppose to get wiser, but I don't believe that is entirely true. I have met children who I believe are wiser than me just because they are able to think differently than me. This is because they haven't reached an age where what the world thinks about them is more important than what they think of themselves.

It's sad, but it's inevitable. There has come a time in all our lives where being confident in who we are is no longer enough. We seek out the acceptance and approval of society. Our definition of beauty no longer includes what is on the inside, but solely comes from the looks on the outside. But there is no good explanation as to why we lose all self confidence to seek out the approval of others. So it's time to change our ways of thinking.

Seeking out the approval and acceptance of others is toxic for so many reasons. It keeps us from being confident, it keeps us from being happy, and it keeps us from being who we truly are.

Until you stop letting other people decide if you're good enough, you will never reach you're full potential. You will never become who you are meant to be.