At some point in our lives we all face a time where we question our self worth. I remember the first time I felt this way all too well: during my senior year of high school. Everyone was out having the time of their lives, because who knew when you would see your high school friends again. After a while, things got better. Only then, when I came to college, did I truly question my self worth. I questioned if I was pretty enough, if I was smart enough, and I wondered how I could compete with everyone else. I always wondered if I would end up alone and if I could ever have that fairy tale love that every girl dreams of having.

Here’s what I needed to realize: I needed to learn how to love myself before I could ever love another. I needed to learn how to be confident and comfortable in my own skin before I could feel comfortable being with anyone else. That was the hardest part, was learning to accept my flaws and realize that I have the ability to be confident if I want to be. Yeah, we don’t always have the ability to control what happens to us, but we do have the ability to accept the things that we cannot change and the ability to look at the positive side of things.

There is no template of how to learn to love yourself. If there was, it would be so much easier to feel like you can conquer the world. But if there was a plan to follow, then would we really be learning how to love ourselves? Or would be learning how other people have learned to love themselves? Everyone is different, but the point is, YOU have to learn how to love YOURSELF.

Learning to love yourself can be as simple as telling yourself positive things every morning. For me, it was learning how to accept that I can’t control everything. I had to learn how to accept that there were going to be things that I cannot change. I can only do my best and hope for the best.

It can also be treating yourself to a new outfit or changing your looks. I feel better after I have gotten a manicure or pedicure. It’s okay to treat yourself once in a while. Learn to respect yourself. Tell yourself that you can do anything you put your mind to. Smile because you have another day, and don’t be upset when you have a bad day. I promise you, things will get better. Learn to be happy with the life that you have. Learn to love yourself. Loving yourself is the first step to being happy for times to come.