There is something so extraordinary with loving who you are. This time of the year is all about love; what chocolates to get your girlfriend, where you want to go to dinner, making cute Valentine's Day cards for all your friends. A lot of people overlook the most important kind of love: the kind that will remain without chocolates, nice dinners, and sappy valentines. This love is a love that is hard to achieve, and just as hard to maintain, but it is the most rewarding kind. Self-love is so often overlooked, but it is the most important thing you could ever work towards. Imagine looking in the mirror at your stretch marks and, although they are attempting to take over the whole lower half of your body, you admire them and where they have taken you. This season, focus on you. Every single day find one more thing you love about yourself and admire it all day long. Wake up and walk to the mirror and realize your strength and power. Look at how strong you are and imagine all the places this body will take you. It is so incredibly true that beauty comes from within, so remind your brain of your beauty, and you will finally see it from the outside.
Take a deep look into all the stereotypes you have come to believe, and suddenly they will all become so irrelevant. Do you realize what size pants you wear is simply a number that tells you which ones fit your rockin' thighs? There is nothing good nor bad about a size 10, a size 2, or a size 16. We have been taught the importance of being thin, but we have also been taught how to solve for derivatives, and we forgot that without hesitation. Why is it so hard to ignore the media and love who we are, cellulite and all?
Statistically, the relationship you are in right now will not be forever, but the relationship you build with yourself will last until the day you die. Do lots of yoga, drink lots of green tea, and write yourself letters when you feel unworthy. Embrace saying "no." If you need a night in, do not look for excuses: You do not need to explain yourself. Allow yourself the freedom of constant change. You are different than you were three years ago, three months ago, and even three minutes ago. Read the Bible when you need a pick-me-up, and do not be ashamed to dance with no pants on and eat a whole pizza in one sitting (followed by a pint of ice cream and cookie cake). Life is the most extraordinary thing if you fully embrace it. Once you realize that you contain the universe, you can truly appreciate the beauty of the world around you.
