Not good enough.

Not good enough.

Not good enough.

Not.

Good.

Enough.

You look in the mirror and hate the person staring back at you. You hate that she does not look like the other girls. You hate that she is not "perfect."

Well...

I see you. I hear you. I understand you.

I see the faces you make whenever you look into the mirror.

I hear the sighs you make every time you take a glance at yourself.

I understand what you are feeling.

...

However, your feelings of resentment and disappointment are misplaced. These feelings should not be on your body, but rather, on anyone who ever made you feel as if your body was not good enough.

You should be disappointed in whoever made you feel as if cellulite and muscle mass should not be visible on your legs; the same legs that allow you to swim in the ocean or hike up a mountain.

You should be disappointed in whoever made you feel as if you need make-up on your face daily to cover up your freckles; the freckles that dot your face like the stars in the night sky.

You should be disappointed in whoever made you feel as if your teeth should be as white as pearls; the teeth that allow you to express the greatest sense of happiness through a smile.

You should be disappointed in whoever made you feel as if your stomach should not have stretch marks; the stretch marks that developed from the widening of your hips.

...

Think back to a time before you hated your reflection. Think about the days when you would carelessly run through the sprinklers in your swimsuit with a smile pasted on your face. Think about how afterward you would eat a melting ice-pop as bits of its blue dye dribbled down your face and onto your swimsuit.

Think about it.

Would you tell that girl any of the things you tell yourself? Would you tell that girl to suck in her stomach or to tone her legs or to not step outside without a fresh coat of mascara and foundation? Would you tell her that her cellulite and freckles and stretch marks need not be seen by anyone?

Well, you are that little girl. You are someone's daughter. You are someone's friend. You are someone's lover. You are, or may one day be, someone's mother. You would never tell one of these people that they are not good enough, so why would you tell that to yourself?

...

I am sorry that your beauty and worth is not apparent to your right now, but I promise that one day, it will be. For now, just embrace your imperfections because they are who make you uniquely beautiful. Once a day, try staring at yourself in the mirror, right in the eye, and giving yourself four compliments. Learn to love your reflection.

...

You are good enough.

You are good enough.

You are good enough.

You.

Are.

Good.

Enough.