My entire life, I have been known as the athlete amongst my group of friends and family. When I was younger, I never paid too much mind to the title. In fact, I was proud that those around me considered me to be athletic, strong, and powerful. However, as I grew older and started the daunting world of high school and early years of college, that confident mindset I had that I was truly comfortable in my athletic build started to dwindle.

Thoughts of whether I should be wearing a size 0 jeans like my friends crept their way into my mind, further convincing me that the athletic body was not to be viewed as attractive or appealing. Before I knew it, I went from looking at myself in the mirror and being proud of what I saw to wondering if I should be changing the way I eat and work out to fit the “skinny girl” stereotype.

I know I’m not alone in being someone that has done this, especially if you- the person reading this article right now- does not fit the modern day definition of the word “skinny.” Odds are, you have allowed your eyes to linger once or twice and toy with the concept that maybe the skinny girl is what society wants, and you aren’t that. Well, guess what? You may not be that, but you should be happy with who you are, and here’s why.

Regardless of whether you are the biggest or smallest out of your friends, everyone has a different perception of what a “good body” is. You may look at Victoria’s Secret models and believe them to have the perfect body, but those very models may look at someone like Simone Biles and be in awe of how “perfect” her body is in their minds.

Everyone is different, and to try to compare and hurl ourselves into a category of one body type that is beautiful would not only be too much to ask of ourselves- it would be impossible.

I once had a gymnastics coach who pulled me aside one day after practice to talk with me about the topic of body image. She knew that I had been having a difficult time accepting my -as I referred to them- thunder thighs, and thought she would offer me some words of encouragement. Our conversation was short, and later she sent me a text that I saved till this day to remind me in times when I need that extra push.

“I think you’re amazing the way you are and I want you to recognize this now and not later. Here’s the thing… Each of us has a different structure, look, weight, shape, and size. Own your assets, take care of them, fuel them well and treat them with respect. Love your strength and fabulous thighs because they give you the ability to explore heights and perform maneuvers others can only dream of.”

When words are that powerful, they should be shared with the world, and the beauty of those specific words is that they apply to all of us. Athlete or not, we are each born into the body that we have now, and even though it’s going to change at points in our lives, it will always be ours to take care of.

By spending an excessive amount of time picking apart pieces of ourselves that we don’t like, wishing for a different body or different features, we never give ourselves credit for how amazing we really are. I guarantee you that whatever you don’t like about yourself- whatever feature or aspect of your body that you think is undesirable- someone else is wishing they had every time they see you.

Most importantly, remember that if you are treating your body with respect, you are living the lifestyle that is best for you and there is nothing you need to change. Eat foods that are good for you and make you happy, but allow yourself a cheat day every once in a while, because you’ve earned it! Spend time exercising, but don’t force yourself to exercise in a way that makes you unhappy.

Some people enjoy going to the gym every day because it keeps them stress-free and feeling sharp, but if that isn’t you, it isn’t you! And above anything else, constantly remind yourself that your body is YOURS. It doesn’t matter what anyone else looks like, what matters is your ability to own and appreciate everything that you have to offer and all the amazing things you can do with the body that you have been given and worked hard to maintain.

I can’t promise you that you are never going to have moments where you are self-conscious about the way you look. Conversely, I can’t promise you that you if you start eating healthy and working out all the time, you will be 100x happier with the way you look.

As human beings, we are far too hard on ourselves much of the time, and odds are no matter the number on the scale we will have the occasional day where we pick apart something we don’t like.

Nevertheless, what I can promise you is that if you start owning your body, accepting your image, and living a life that makes you happy and fuels the machine that moves you, you will be thankful for the body you have no matter what your size.

Own your body, own your size, and own your assets. And in the words of a wise woman, “remember that there will always be haters, judges, and those with opinions all of which they are entitled to, but you should not give those people or their words the power to get to you.”