You constantly hear of love stories. The big and romantic gestures people make for one another — whether that be how they professed their love, asked for a hand in marriage, or even telling them how they felt about the other. It's in the movies, the books, the group chats, the Instagram posts, the "luckiest girl" Snap Chat stories, and even at the family parties. We can't escape love with a significant other. No matter where we go, no matter what we do, there will always be something around the corner. Literally, you can go on tinder and there is most likely someone actually around the corner from you. There's no escaping. And no, I'm not saying that I hate love and think that these happy and lucky people need to stop sharing their successes and joy with others. I admire those stories, all the movies, books, and even social media posts. It gives me hope for the future.

I know that I am and forever will be a closet hopeless romantic. What I'm also aware of is that I've been burned before. I've been betrayed and truthfully I'm finally finding peace with it all. And to keep the honesty coming: I've learned to love someone else. Someone who has been there with me since the very beginning. Someone who I've not only seen grow, but grown with. Someone that needed more work than my old pickup truck that I drive. Someone that despite the odds and hardships didn’t follow through with fully giving up. Someone that gets stronger with each doubt that is brought into their life. Someone that has started over. That someone is myself.

They say that you truly cannot love another person, until you love yourself first, and d*mn is that accurate. Everyone has had a breaking point, but it’s not about how hard you fall, it’s about how stable you can get yourself as you stand back up. Life is about change and acceptance. Change is inevitable, and sometimes, the only thing that you can do is change your perspective and state of mind. That in itself is the hardest part of learning to love yourself. Once you start the change, that’s when you have to learn to accept who you’ve become and are striving to be.

You don’t need a man or woman to validate your life’s worth. God forbid that you lose them, you find yourself empty, and useless. Two things that you never want to feel, and even more so – feeling them both at the same time. You have to become your own person, and with each quality that acquire independently – you do so for yourself. It’s so easy to turn your life around, but it’s a lot of work. That’s why people try to fall in love with another people, to escape themselves. They don’t want to look in a mirror and see their flaws and dependence. They want someone to say that they are already perfect. Spoiler alert: No one is perfect, and you can’t hide from yourself. People will come and go through your life constantly, but there is only one person that will hands down never leave. So take that extra 20 minutes alone while you’re getting ready to go out. Exercise and eat right to show how much you care for your body. Get to a point of self-appreciation. Eventually, you will be able to look in the mirror and see the reflection of someone you love. The best kinds of love stories are the ones that you can create for yourself every day. You don’t need to search for ‘your person’ to give you any affirmation that you’re an amazing individual. My person is myself.