I promise you, this article won't be what you thought it was. You probably clicked this link thinking I would write something comparable to the synopsis of a Nicholas Sparks novel talking about how you need to find "the one" when you're in your twenties. Well, you're sort of right. Your twenties are a time of excitement, of new opportunities, of lessons learned, of taking chances, and a time to get to know one of the most incredible people you've ever met...you. That's right, you should fall in love in your twenties with the person who's staring right back at you in the mirror. "The one" that you should strive to make your first priority is yourself. It probably won't be easy, like any relationship it takes commitment, patience, and a lot of effort. But I can promise you that learning to love yourself as you're simultaneously trying to figure out life is one of the most invigorating, rewarding experiences you can have.

From a young age, we're conditioned to think we need another person to complete us. We internalize this idea, it becomes more and more engrained in us with every Romance movie we watch, every love song we hear on the radio, and every cute couple post we see on Instagram or Facebook. Even as children we hear fairy tales about a prince and a princess who fall in love and live happily ever after. I want to read a fairytale about a princess who loved herself so fiercely and unapologetically that she already had her happily ever after long before any prince came along. We tell girls that their wedding day should be "the happiest day of their life". I want little girls to grow up thinking that the happiest day of their life is not their wedding day, but the day they get their degree or their dream job or travel the world.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't love another person in your twenties, I'm not saying that you shouldn't love another person in general. Love them with your whole heart. Love life, and experiences, and people with everything you have. Seize all of the opportunities you encounter, learn as much as you can from them. Do things that make you happy, because life is short and precious and you can't waste a moment. One of my favorite teachers always used to say, "If you're lonely when you're alone, you're probably in bad company". Make that your mantra, love yourself so much that you cherish the time you spend with yourself. Be the type of person you would raise your children to be. Spend your free time making yourself the best you that you can be. Fall in love with someone if they treat you like you deserve, but never need another person to love you. No matter what you choose to do in your life just always remember to love yourself because we live in a world that has taught us not to.