You

Hey, you.

Yeah, that's right.

You, reading this post.

You know what you are?

Amazing.

I don't care if you're 100 pounds or 500 pounds, you are amazing.  If you're black, white, brown, or purple.  No matter what your gender or sexual orientation.  No matter the disabilities you may have, the problems you've faced, or the obstacles yet to come.  You are amazing.  You are alive, and that is wonderful.

I know it can be so hard sometimes.  You look in the mirror, and you hate what you see.  Your hair is too curly.  Your thighs are too big.  You're too tall, too short, too fat, too skinny.  You worry about how others see you, and in doing this, your image of yourself is distorted.  You doubt how anyone can ever like you.  You're annoying, you're too quiet, you're pushy, you're a pushover.

You think that guy or that girl will never be into you because of who you are or how you look.  You push people away because you don't want to get hurt.  You settle for someone who isn't worth your time.

But you want to know a secret?  Something that everyone keeps quiet, especially from themselves?

NONE OF THAT MATTERS.

It doesn't matter what Person A thinks of you, or how attracted Person B is to you.

It doesn't matter that you're fat or skinny, black or white, trans or cis, gay or straight.

All that matters is how YOU feel about yourself.

Stop letting others dictate how you see yourself, and start to see yourself the way you are, not the way others want you to be.

Stop settling for anything less than what you deserve, and if someone tries to tell you differently, then dump them.  They aren't worth your time.

We spend so much time running after acceptance from people, and we get lost along the way.

In the images the media throws at us, we learn that we need to be skinny and sexy and smart (but hide it away) to have any hope of acceptance.

Don't ever let anyone tell you that you aren't good enough.

For every person that drags you down, there are more people that will help you back up.  Find those people, and stick with them, because they're the ones that matter.

And don't be a person who drags others down because of your own insecurities.  Use your insecurities to help build others up, including yourself.

Every human being that has ever walked this planet has had potential for greatness, including you.

Because, my friend, you're amazing.  You're strong, you're intelligent, and you matter.

Don't ever forget that.