It's a brand new year! The idea of the new year can hold many different meanings for people. It is something that some anticipate with bursting energy, and it's also a time that others dread. It's a new slate with new opportunities for change and improvement. You may follow the trend of making one or many New Year's resolutions, but it's always a question as to whether or not you stick to those changes. Despite the controversial opinions surrounding this trend, one resolution we should all make and stick to is self-love.

Self-love is not an option. It's a priority.

It is so easy to find yourself trapped between negative self-talk, people-pleasing, and feelings of worthlessness. We've all been there. I've been there. But we've entered an entirely new decade, one with electrifying energy and hope that should serve as an inspiration for us to do better, become better people. This way of improving starts with loving yourself, flaws and all. Though this is easier said than done, it is so worthwhile to get up each day and say, "I love who I am."

Once you start loving yourself, it seems as though everything else falls into place as well.

Self-love not only assists you in improving your own confidence, but it also ignites your true passions, and it instills a level of compassion within you that you've never felt before. I know that this will happen to you because these amazing changes happened to me once I decided to start loving myself. Once I had this experience, I knew I would never go back to the girl that I used to be — a girl who feared judgment, failure, and rejection. Those things are inevitable in life, and that is OK. By switching the focus from stress to self, even your worries will fade.

To live a happy life, you must love yourself. You cannot even begin to love others if you do not love yourself first. You are the priority here, first and foremost, because you matter. Your outlook on yourself shows more about who you are than it does anything else. There are endless benefits to beginning the practice of self-love.

When you are grateful for your body, for your personality, and for your scars, you begin to glow. 

When I look back at the person I was one year ago, I never imagined I would be in such a happy place. I decided to love the acne scars, the stretch marks, and the impurities. I found my true self when I utilized love instead of hate when I looked in the mirror.

By practicing self-love, you inspire others to do the same, whether it's friends, sorority sisters, family members, or even strangers. What this world needs, over anything, is more love. We could always use more love, as a matter of fact. So by implementing this resolution into your life, you are making a change. We need to start loving ourselves — and one another — more every day.