Love From The Inside Out

I have almost always had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that I am not perfect and that I am not a size four. I have also realized the fact that even though I am not what I would call the perfect "body image," at least by my standards, does not mean I am ugly. It has taken years for me to realize that everyone is different and beautiful in their own way. I can't change the fact that I am not capable of being the skinniest human being on earth, but I can change how I look at myself. I can love myself, and I can love my body.

Everyone should be able to say, "I am beautiful." When someone looks into the mirror, they should be able to look at themselves and be proud of what they see. Every day we get on our phones, look at magazines, read something, or listen to someone telling us we will never be perfect enough and that we will never look good enough and that we should look this way or that. I personally believe we should look the way we want to look. When I say this, though, I mean that we should be able to look at ourselves and say, "I don't need to change anything." Everyone, every day, struggles in some way with something about themselves; it could be their hair, their waistline, or even their personality. Nobody should be ashamed of that. Not any of it. If you look in the mirror and say, "I look fat," then also remember that you are unique and think something positive about yourself. For every negative thing about you, there are ten good things, and they all outweigh that one thing you think is bad.

Surround yourself with positive, kind people that won't judge you and won't influence you into anything. Sometimes when you feel down about yourself, you, without realizing, surround yourself and get involved with things that can place you and others in a dangerous position. When you are surrounded by positive people, you start to think positive thoughts and eventually look at the world, and yourself, in a positive light. This is probably one of the best things I have done in terms of positivity. An easy thing to remember is negativity can only create more negativity, but positivity can create anything. When you think happy thoughts, you start to imagine things you couldn't before, and you can make a difference in the world; but first, you have to make a difference in yourself. Self-love is self-love for a reason. Everyone should be able to experience it and share it. Without kindness and love towards yourself, you cannot share your love with anyone else without it being empty. You're going to have to take it one step at a time, but you can do it. I still do it — every day in fact. It is normal to feel more negative feelings towards yourself but you shouldn't be cruel to yourself every day. So remember: positivity can create anything, including an absolutely stunning you.