Every girl on this earth has heard the phrase, “You are beautiful just the way you are.” Now, don’t get me wrong, every girl truly is beautiful just as they are. The journey then starts with the girl actually believing it for herself. It’s totally okay if your parents and friends tell you that you’re beautiful. My family and friends tell me that almost every day. Like most girls, the problem was that I found it hard to believe, so it didn’t stick with me every time they said it. To be honest with you, I have also heard the opposite. As I was on the journey of trying to love my body last year, someone told me (in reference to my body) that I had things no one wanted to see. This person was making a reference to the fact that I did not have a flat stomach and for the record, yes, I do have love handles.

Until that moment, I had never in my life had someone make me feel bad about my body. It was then that I realized that loving my body was actually up to me. With all of that being said, throughout my own journey, here are a few things I’ve learned along the way.

1. All bodies are beautiful.

I know this sound super cliché, but it’s true. It doesn’t matter if you’re thin, curvy, athletic, short, or tall, you are beautiful. I repeat: you are beautiful. We are not all supposed to look exactly the same in this world. Looking the same is absolutely boring and being different is magnificent. We are all like snowflakes. Each one is unique and different from the other, but together, they make a beautiful sight. In the words of Eudora Welty, “Don’t be like the rest of them, darling.”

2. Accept what you have.

This one is especially hard for me sometimes, but I am getting better at it. It was hard for me to accept my body because I would hear things like, “Men like women with curves; only dogs want bones.” Now, I am not just skin and bones, but quotes like this (in my opinion) do the opposite of promoting body acceptance. All you curvy girls, rock your curves and embrace them with pride. Your curves are beautiful. Yet, for me, I was not blessed with many curves. So, no matter how much I may want Marilyn Monroe’s curves, it probably won’t happen for me and I have to truly accept that. God created us all unique, so I try to accept that I was made this way for a reason. You were made the way you are for a reason, too.

3. Every journey begins with the first step.

Once again, cliché, but very true. Body acceptance does not happen overnight. Trust me, I've tried that! It is a literal journey. There will be days when you love yourself and your eyebrows will be on fleek (who doesn’t love that!),but there will also be some days when you’re bummed because your hair won’t act right (I have many stories about this one!). My point is, don’t get too discouraged along the journey, just take a step.

In the end, I had to learn how to cancel out the background noise of other people and tell myself who I am and that I love me. I've read another quote that said when you criticize your body, you’re criticizing the Master who made it. With that, I leave you with the famous words from Veggie Tales: God made you special and He loves you very much. You have to believe it. And if no one else tells you this, just know, you are beautiful.