When you're young, entering your first, or any relationship, is new and exciting. It is a little unorganized and messy and sometimes you lose track of a few things, people, even yourself. But one thing you should never lose track of is your worth.
I know exactly what it is like to fall in love and lose yourself in your significant other. Trust me, I've lived it. You get wrapped up in love and it's beauty. You fall in love with a person, with the feelings they give you, and with the life, you build together. It's easy when it's good. But sometimes, you also start losing sight of yourself and the way that you should be treated and that's when it gets unhealthy.
You begin to compromise on things you never thought you would. You cut people out of your life. You change your schedule. You stop going out together and just sit at home all of the time. It's as if you've entered a place of complacency and have lost sight of all of those things you've always wanted to do.
You start accepting behavior and treatment that you never had to accept, that you shouldn't have to accept. Then one day, you're thinking it all over and you realize that you aren't being treated how you should be treated. Then what? How can you avoid all of this before it even begins?
Know your worth. It sounds simple, and that's because it can be. But, it can also be tough. You have to know who you are and what you deserve and how you want to live and love. No matter who you are or where you're from, you are a beautiful, wonderful person. You hold a value that is worth more than anything in the universe. Male or female, you should feel Beyonce level energy when you're with someone because you should be treated like the queen herself.
Unfortunately, more often than not, when we wrap ourselves in someone, we lose that energy very quickly, and that isn't fair. You shouldn't have to compromise your worth and your self-esteem for anyone, ever. When you do that, you lose yourself completely. Again, I would know, I have been there.
Then you're like me, sitting here wondering how it even happened and where you go from here. But it took me a long time to get to this point too. I had to sit and look back on myself and my life and come to the realization that I am a beautiful and pretty okay human. I deserve the kind of love that I am willing to give.
Stephen Chbosky summed it up in his novel, "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower." When he said, "We accept the love we think we deserve." You deserve the best kinds of love and the best kinds of treatment. You deserve the kind of love that you are willing to give. An unselfish, forgiving kind of love. Demand the treatment that you deserve and settle for nothing less.
Only accept the best kinds of love and the best kinds of relationships. The ones where you don't have to compromise your self-worth and your values in order to feel loved and feel validated. Ones where you can be your own person and grow as that person. Ones where you have Queen Bey level energy at all times because you are royalty and should always be treated as such.
Recognize your worth and then ask yourself, If you don't know your worth, who will?
