Nothing is better than those days when you wake up in the morning with a little more confidence than usual. Those days when you look in the mirror and your hair is falling just the way you want it, your skin is clear, and your outfit worked out just as you planned. Unfortunately, these days are few and far between, and it's more likely that you are criticizing just about everything about yourself, obsessed with the unattainable idea of perfection that has been ingrained into your mind.

It's no question that today's society, where it's practically impossible not to compare yourself to everyone else, is focused entirely too much on the superficial. We live in a world full of judgment and standards that are impossible to meet. We crave reassurance from other people so much that it's consuming.

Amidst all of the negativity that is social media, I do sometimes see things online stressing that women should support women and that we should build each other up instead of tearing each other down. While I'm all for positivity and girl power, I also think that it's important to realize that building yourself up is just as important, if not more important than building up others.

Entirely too much weight is placed on the validation that we receive from other people, and it's time that we realize our worth and take our sense of confidence into our own hands.

Confidence should stem from so much more than what you see in your reflection because there are so many more interesting things about you. Love yourself for your radiant kindness, your intuitive nature, your sense of humor, your magnetic personality, your passion and drive, your authenticity. Whatever it may be, love yourself for that, because you have so much to give to the world that goes far beyond what you see when you look in the mirror.

So, for those days that you wake up with an extra boost of confidence, use it to your advantage and enjoy it. And for those other days, when you wake up tempted to point out every little thing that you consider to be a flaw, remember all of the other things that there are to love about you, and hold your head high with confidence in those things.

Regardless of whether we love our appearance or hate it, we should always strive for more, because in neither case should we let such a trivial aspect of who we are, define us.

The people that are worthy of being in your life will care more about the important things that mold you into who you are and so should you. Love yourself on the good days, the bad days, and every day in between, and never forget that while getting validation from other people feels good, nothing is more empowering than not needing it because you already have that confidence in yourself.