To the girl who is settling for less than she deserves,

This has been tugging on my heart for quite some time now. I have probably written and rewritten this about five times because I haven't really been able to grasp what I want to say. It's been difficult for me to write this because while writing, I came to the realization that I am the girl who has settled for less than she deserved.

Before having the realization that I did, I probably thought that I was the type of girl who always had these high moral standards and that I never let anyone or anything blind me from seeing my worth...but that's definitely not how I have been living my life. Truthfully, I have let people come into my world and corrupt my view of myself and that result has lead me to make decisions that were so unworthy of my time and effort.

Even though coming to terms with how I have settled for less has been unnerving, it has also been a blessing to me because I have decided that I'm not going to be that girl anymore.

So, this is dedicated to myself and to other young ladies out there in the world who want to strive for more and let go of the people, things, or even places that they chose to deal with because they didn't believe they were worthy of more. So, if you feel like you have or if you are a little unsure, here is a list of seven seemingly simple things that you might have allowed or are currently allowing in your life that will let you know if you have settled for less than you deserve.

You have settled for less than you deserve if you...

1. have compromised your own happiness and well-being for someone else

2. are in a relationship that is not uplifting you and pushing you forward

3. are at a job, in a city or at a school because you are scared to put yourself out there and do the thing that you really want to do

4. make excuses for someone who has shown you time and time again that they are untrustworthy

5. think that you have to have someone in your life because that's as good as it's going to get for you

6. are still in a friendship that doesn't pour into you as you do it

7. are in a 'situationship' that you know is not going anywhere

Like I said previously, I have definitely been in a few (if not all) of these situations, so please don't take it too hard on yourself if you find that you are in something similar. The first step in moving on from something is to realize the issue at hand and then make a change. Don't be scared to make that change, girl! I know that emotions can play a huge part in how we choose to live our lives and what we allow ourselves to go through, but, there comes a time when you have to forget what you feel and remember what you deserve.

Love,

Kelsey