When you finally get to a point where you are comfortable just being who you are, unapologetically, you start to see life from a whole new perspective. It’s like seeing the world for the very first time. It’s strange, yet beautiful, but still a little scary. It takes some adjusting, but it makes you feel like you are actually living for the first time. But then other people start sticking their nose in your happiness, and that’s when you have to make a decision. You can either let their opinion reflect on how you feel about yourself, or choose to love yourself regardless. From experience, I can tell you that this will be one of the most important decisions of your life, so think hard about this one. Or don’t, because the decision is pretty easy if you ask me.

Allowing other people’s opinions of yourself to change your own opinion of who you are is the number one way to make yourself miserable in life. Other people cannot be responsible of how you think of yourself because they don’t really know you. They don’t know your story, your ups or downs, or in-betweens. They don’t know your heart. They only know what you allow them to know. No one knows you like yourself.

I have written a lot lately about loving yourself. It’s something that I am extremely passionate about sharing with the world as much as I can. This journey is full of highs and lows and everything in-between. It is beautifully painful, but worth every step because this inner peace that I am finding in myself in the most pure joy one can ever have. I have learned so many lessons along the way that I have been able to share with all of you, but the one I am about to talk about will probably be the most important one: forever and always be someone that you want to love.

I can preach all day the importance of learning to love yourself, but if you aren’t being a person worthy of even your own love, then what are you being? The world is full of cruel people–don’t be cruel. The world is full of hateful people–don’t be hateful. The world is full of liars–don’t be a lair. The world is full of backstabbing people–don’t be a backstabber. Be someone you would want to love.

The world needs givers–be a giver of all sorts. The world needs lovers–be a lover of all sorts. The world needs peacemakers–be a peacemaker. The world needs more smiles–so smile more and make others smile more. You see, being someone you want to love is simple.

You will forever and always be working on yourself because you will constantly be changing. So make sure that those changes are positive and that they are continuously making you be someone you want to love.

You can wait your whole life for someone to love you, or you can work on yourself and be someone you want to love–the choice is yours.