This one is for the girl who may need a reminder of all the good she brings to the world.
"You are enough, you are so loved."
These words can be heard almost daily in my sorority and it never fails to make me smile. Until I came to college, I wasn't as aware of the different ways people feel affection. There are 5 love languages: Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, Physical Touch, and Words of Affirmation. When I joined my sorority, I learned how many of the people around me desired words of affirmation to get them through the day or even just to make them smile. Now, every day I can hear kind words throughout the house, on social media, or around campus.
So, for the girl who needs words of affirmation:
You are stronger than you think.
On your hardest days, everything thrown at you is exactly what is helping you grow. However cliche you may think that is, it's true. Each time you wake up, you've learned new things and become stronger because that hard day was just one more thing you've overcome.
You are appreciated and deserving.
The things you do are not going unnoticed. Everything you accomplish is worthy of a little praise, you just need to look in the right places for it.
I don't know you, and you are still so important to me.
There is nothing that says I need to know you personally in order to recognize that you are one incredible person. The fact that you've made it this far, however far that may be, is proof enough that you can overcome anything.
You are one of a kind, and you are worth it.
Your very being is exactly who you need to be. It's who you should be. Not everyone is going to recognize how wonderful you really are. Those who matter will recognize your worth, but those who don't see your value aren't worth your time.
You are NEEDED.
You may not realize it, but if you didn't show up to a class one day or drifted out of a person's life, someone would notice. You may feel like you don't belong somewhere or are struggling to figure your life out. I am here to tell you that this means there is somewhere out there where you belong. It means someone would notice your absence, even if you don't think they would. You are here for a reason, and you don't need to know what that is in order to know you are needed here.
I am proud of you.
Every day I am proud of the littlest things my friends accomplish, which in turn makes their more important accomplishments a bigger deal. So for everything you managed to do today that you at one time felt was difficult or didn't have the drive to do, I am proud of you.
Your smile can light up a room.
Your smile is much more alluring when it's a true smile. A smile on a cloudy day can cause someone's bad mood to completely flip around, even if just for a short amount of time. I say keep it up, because someone will catch a glimpse. Laughter is the best medicine after all...
You are ENOUGH.
Spread this everywhere you go. Let everyone know that they are truly enough. Nothing about them is lesser, nothing about their personality or appearance should be changed. They are uniquely them and that is all they need to be. The cover photograph for this article is from a campaign at The University of Nebraska-Lincoln by a group called HOPE IV US. They're choosing to spread love and give people a reason to keep going. How great would it be if everyone knew they were enough?
You are so loved.
I know what it's like to not recognize the support system around you. You are cared about. Somebody loves you. You are important. You are kind. You are someone's everything, and you are SO loved even if you don't recognize it yet.
