I've been told throughout my entire life to love myself. Unfortunately, that's a lot harder said than done.

I always wanted to change something about myself when I was younger.

I wish my teeth were straight.

I wish I looked like that model in the magazine.

I wish I could do my makeup like Kate Middleton.

I wish my eyes weren't boring brown.

It took a long time for me to be happy with myself - and I still don't think I'm completely happy with myself. I wish my stomach was flatter. I wish I had different colored eyes. I wish my eyebrows were different. I wish my hair wasn't as crazy as it is. I wish I wasn't always fidgeting. I wish I didn't talk so much - I just love people. I wish I had a better facial structure.

I may not love every aspect of myself - but I'm learning how to. Looking at myself and where I was four or five years ago...everything has changed. I grew as a person. I became more confident in how I am.

It was a gradual change - which is why I didn't notice it. But reading through my old journals, I see how different I am from even two years ago. I feel confident going outside without makeup on. (Still not quite at the point of going outside without somewhat taming my hair, but that comes with the territory of curly hair).

Life is a process and a journey. I'm constantly growing and learning. When I lay down to go to sleep tonight, I will be smarter than I was the day before. I take lessons with me wherever I go, trying my best to find a lesson every day that I'm blessed enough to be on this planet.

I'm not perfect, but neither is the girl in the Instagram post who has the picture-perfect life. Neither is that model on the magazine pages. Neither is the popular girl in school. We all have our struggles and we try our best to make ourselves perfect.

Perfect doesn't exist.

I will never have the skinniest waist in the world. I will never have different colored eyes. I will always have crazy curly brown frizzy hair - just like my beautiful mom. I have my mom's eyes. I have my amazing dad's cone structure.

I can't look like the model in the magazine. I can't look like the girl on Instagram.

I may not love every single thing about myself, but I'm learning. I will work harder than I did the day before - because there's only one me in the world. And I will be the best me possible.