My friends and I were once talking about going to the gym and one of them said, “When I finally fix the things I hate, I will be happy with my body.” Today in society, most people tend to have a very passionate hate towards themselves. They search for validation from others and think that other people’s love will fill the space where their self love is supposed to be. It will not. One thing I always tell my friends is “You can not give love if you do not have love.” The journey of self love is very hard. We live in a relatively lonely world with very impressionable people. People tend to try and fill the lack of companionship through the screen on their phone. They indulge themselves in social media thinking to themselves “That person’s life looks so perfect I wish I was them, then I would actually be happy.” In reality, the people you are watching on social media tend to have anything but a perfect life; they are just really good at hiding it. The happiness that awaits you is not on your phone screen; it is in real life. Others may say, “It’s just for fun. I do not take anything on social media seriously.” I agree with that statement, social media is fun. It’s a way to keep in touch with people you do not see on an everyday basis but it will not help you find the love you need to be giving yourself. It may sound cheesy but self love really does come from within. You are the only person in control of how you feel about yourself and how you let others impact you. There are probably many people that do not like me but, if I were to focus on those peoples opinions on me, I do not think I would ever get out of bed in the morning. I have developed a healthy relationship with the gym. It has helped me be proud of myself because, during freshman year, if you would have told me the progress I have made I would have never believed you. You know who got me where I am today? Myself. I can give myself all of the credit for my journey because no one can do or say anything to make me feel as proud as I am with myself. Some people also tend to find themselves in empty relationships searching for something they can only give themselves. Some may be too afraid to leave because they do not want to feel alone but once again that is a problem that only you can fix. You need to learn to be comfortable with yourself and being alone. It’s not easy-I will admit- but it allows growth to occur and when you are okay with being alone you learn that you have to like yourself because, in the end, you are all that you have. Everyone deserves to feel love from others and, more importantly, themselves. It is time to take a step back, let yourself grow and just remember that you should always be your own first love.