Now that summer is here, all anyone talks about is how they need to go to the gym and start eating healthier. They need to get in shape for that dream summer bod so that when they go to the beach they'll look great. I'm here to say that is not what life is about.

I have had my fair share of struggles. Days where I counted calories to lose weight, didn't want to eat, looked in the mirror and hated what I saw. The self hatred I had was the drive I used to go to the gym. I figured if I went to the gym and ate healthy then I would lose weight and finally be happy with myself- which was not true at all. There is no workout plan or diet plan in the world that is going to get you to start loving the body that you have. Loving yourself, starts with you and your mindset.

Hating your body gets you nowhere. We currently live in a society that tries to tell us how we should look, act, talk, think, etc. But in reality, once you get to a point where you can love yourself, you start to realize how our society has nothing to do with how we should look. We spend so much of our time trying to live up to these false standards of someone that we were not meant to be and we lose sight of the beauty that is in us.

Learning to love yourself is a long difficult road that sometimes takes years. But when you finally get there, you start to see life through a new set of eyes. There will be days that you do not feel beautiful or enough — but you need to tell yourself you are. And you also need to believe it. Become your own biggest fan. Once you start planting the seed of confidence and beauty in yourself, it will be hard for you to ever doubt your beauty again. You will no longer care about the little things that once were big things.

Embrace all of your flaws. You are perfectly made and that's that. Who cares if you are not a size two? Who cares if you are curvy? Everyone has flaws and that is life. Learn to love them! Once you start loving the body you were given, you will lead a happier and healthier life. Everyone at some point in their life gains weight. Our bodies change overtime as we get older and it is time you stop comparing yourself to how you used to look. Hating your body everyday just gets tiring. You make yourself sick and miserable. Love the body that you have and rock it because no one else is made the way that you are, which is what makes you so wonderful.

Loving yourself is one of the greatest things that you can do. When you love yourself, then the world will love you back. Encourage yourself and give yourself more credit. You are beautiful just the way you are and you should never let anyone tell you otherwise.

I hope that this reaches someone out there who is struggling to love themselves because they are listening to what society is telling them. I assure you that society is wrong because beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes. Never let someone tell you that you are not beautiful- because you are. Let go of your insecurities, love your flaws and stop letting a scale control you. Just love yourself!