An Open Letter To The Girl Working On Self-Love

Self-love.

It's one of the hardest things to master but it's also the one thing I want most in life.

I don't hate myself, but I don't necessarily love myself. I like myself.

I like my eyes, my ability to love, and my empathetic nature.

I dislike my bottom teeth, my anxious mannerisms, and my stubborn ways.

One of my biggest fears is not being good enough.

Not living up to my own standards, not achieving what I think I should in life.

I wish I could say I loved myself.

I don't know why I don't, but it's just one of those things that's much easier said than done.

For whatever reason, when I look in the mirror, I tend to notice my flaws first.

I feel better with at least a little bit of makeup on and I definitely was not born with a metabolism to eat whatever I want.

Now don't get me wrong, like everyone else, I have good and bad days.

Days that I feel better than average and days that I feel worse.

The extra good days are heaven sent.

Self-love is a whirlwind of emotions. It's a long windy road. It's wanting but seeing different things.

Feeling like you want to be a, b, and c, but being exposed to x, y, and z that make you think twice.

The media doesn't help. Not even close. Telling us, women especially, what we have to do or be or look like to be successful. And if we're anything else than it's not quite good enough.

Although self-love comes from within, having great people around you sure does help.

They say to love anyone else you must first love yourself.

I disagree.

I truly believe the people I surround myself with make this journey to self-love so much easier.

I get a little bit closer every day because of my girlfriend, my sister, and my friends.

They point out things I would never even notice about myself.

If it was not for them, I would be much further behind.

I often think about the days when I can truly say I love myself. How nice it will be to worry less and to smile more. I know the day will come, but I'm ready for these feelings to be those of the past.

To every other girl working on self-love... Keep fighting. Keep practicing. One day at a time. We WILL make it.