Being young today, we are constantly faced with pressure. Pressure to look a certain way. To be a certain weight. To always be better than our competition. It gets exhausting and more often than not makes us feel more stressed and worse about ourselves. With so much pressure to be perfect, it's nearly impossible to actually feel good about who we are. And that's not ok.

As a twenty-year-old girl growing up in the modern era, I've always felt as though I need to live up to a certain image and if I didn't, I wasn't beautiful enough, or cool enough, or smart enough to get anywhere. Like many others my age, it was very hard growing up and not feeling good about myself or confident.

I struggled and always wished that I could look like someone else, be as outgoing as that other girl, or be as popular. No matter how many A's I got, I always stressed about keeping up with everyone else. But, as I've come into my own and matured, I realize that stuff is not important and does not define who I am.

Society constantly shows us what it deems as "perfect". We see supermodels without a flaw, millionaires with more money than they know what to do with. We are accustomed to think that these things equal success and happiness.

Yet as we work tirelessly to try to achieve this, it becomes very apparent that these things don't bring happiness. Sure they may bring temporary enjoyment or excitement, but in the long-run, your jeans size, color of your hair, or number in your bank account does not bring you happiness.

It truly upsets me when I open up a magazine and am immediately hit with reminders that my body isn't perfect; that I don't have the best hair, or makeup, or clothes; that my major or life choices might not make me rich. But honestly, I don't care. Those are my decisions. They are my life choices, my "mistakes" to make.

If not being a size 0, eating an entire pint of ice cream by myself, choosing to follow my passions and not a paycheck doesn't meet society's standards of happiness, then I am ok with that. Because the truth is, they meet my standards of happiness.

If you're happy on the inside, there is nothing more important. You can be a supermodel, with a mansion and nice cares, but be extremely unhappy. On the flip side, you can also be in a studio apartment, struggling to make this month's rent and be miserable. At the end of the day there is only one factor that can make you happy, one thing ... You.

You are the only person who can make you happy. If you feel good about yourself, feel confident in your abilities, know that you are enough, that is what will truly make you happy. Because you are enough.

I don't know about you, but I sure don't need society's stamp of approval. I need my own.