Hey you. I want to tell you a secret. Yeah, listen up, I'm going to take a minute and be really honest. Ready? Ok here goes: Sometimes I really have a hard time loving myself. There, I said it. You probably aren't surprised to hear a girl admit that she struggles with self-love sometimes. Because maybe this secret of mine is one that you share too.

While it's not a deep, dark, hidden truth about myself, this revelation about the difficulty associated with liking the person you see in the mirror every morning is one that many people can understand. Because the concept itself is convoluted, and difficult to understand sometimes. Self love means fully accepting yourself as you are and adoring yourself for it.

And sometime's that's easier said than done.

Because we've all experienced that moment when we've thought "I wish my hair looked like her's" or " I wish I could do that like she does." But self-love starts the moment when we learn to accept the way we look and think "I look beautiful today" or "I can do that in my own special way".

But the problem with self-love doesn't stop there.

Because even if you do find the confidence to love yourself on your bad days, people may use phrases like "she's so self obsessed", or "you're really into yourself aren't you?" Because there's this stigma surrounding the idea of self love. But the bottom line is this: Self-love is not selfish love.

And once you realize that, it will make all the difference in your own journey to self-love. Because putting yourself first is the first step in a life-long romance with yourself.

But how do you do that exactly? How do you rid yourself of the feeling that you aren't good enough, that you aren't your best self? Ignore the people who try to tell you who you are. Let go of those things you can't do, and be proud of the things you can. Choose today to push your boundaries. Wear what you want, do your makeup how you want, and do what you want to make yourself feel confident. Forget the mistakes you made in the past and look forward to your future. Stop apologizing for the things that make you you. Realize that you are your own before you belong to anyone else.

Self-love isn't easy. But it's worth it.