"Beauty isn't about having a pretty face. It's about having a pretty mind, a pretty heart, and a pretty soul."

Being the girl who never felt "pretty" through middle and high school, college has been the ultimate opportunity for me to see what a truly "pretty" girl looks like.

I have lost 60+ pounds within the past year and half.

This of course has been noticed by my family, friends, and anyone else who has had any sort of occurrence in my life recently. Yes, I have appreciated all of the compliments such as, "I am so proud of how far you have come," "It must have been a lot of dedication to do something like that.. awesome for you," or my all time favorite... "Wow you look so good now." Now. As in before I was able to loose 60 pounds and had a healthier lifestyle I looked bad?

Yes, I will agree that with my newfound, slimmer body I definitely feel healthier, lighter, and because of this I am more confident in myself. With this new confidence and smaller figure, boys have obviously been paying more attention to me and now have decided they may be interested in me. Now.

Until I arrived at college, I was never able to look at myself in the mirror and be happy with what I saw. I was never able to look at myself and say, "You look beautiful today." Through high school, I gave off this confident persona, but I was so insecure in how I looked. I never thought I was good enough for anyone. I was going to be alone forever.

What I have learned is...

It wasn't the fact that I was overweight or wasn't outgoing enough that made me unattractive. I was ugly because of the fact I wasn't able to love myself. No one else would have been able to love me until I loved myself.

Now.

Now, I have been able to go through the "glo-up" necessary to give me the opportunity to truly love myself. I have to do more than just like the girl with the nice ass and pretty smile. I have to appreciate the winning personality and soul that lives inside my body.

It wasn't until...

I had someone tell me they didn't like the person I had become that I realized my life was changing more than just my physical features. I have changed mentally. Yes, I have more confidence in myself, I am able to put myself out there more than I would have in the past. This is the part that is important. Growing up is what really counts not what our generation has coined as the term "glo'ing up."

I have struggled with putting too much attention on making sure I looked good on the outside that I lost touch with what really matters... what I am on the inside. I lost touch with the girl who always looks out for her friends, the girl who always put others before herself, and the girl who would never do anything to harm even a fly.

I am not saying that I am a completely different person.

I am saying that I am maturing. I have gone through and experienced so much more than the chubby, shy 13-year-old I once was. I am in college, away from home, I am an adult now. Yes, I still mess up all the time. I am okay with that because I know it's all a part of the bigger picture... my story. My life. My "growing up."

So I will leave you all with these words of wisdom:

If you haven't already, at some point, you are going to change. Whether that be loosing weight and having more self-confidence, standing up to someone in your life you always were submissive to, making new friends, or even something as simple as getting a boob job.

Whatever you do, don't ever think you are anything less than beautiful.

Society has us thinking that the "glo' up" is the important part of change we go through in life. That is so wrong though. You are so much more than what people see on the outside. You are an intelligent, caring, and strong individual who has not only "glo'd up" into something amazing but you have also managed to "grow up." It may take a lot to figure out who you are or what you want to be, but it becomes a hell of a lot easier the second you are able to love yourself. So do it. Love and embrace the insecurities you have. Learn from them and make them yours.

And as my mother used to always tell me the most important thing to remember is:

"You is kind. You is smart. You is important." -The Help