The Likes of You

You should like yourself. Seems like it should be a given, right? Actually, it’s not. If you aren’t happy with most of the decisions you’ve made in life, you probably don’t think too highly of yourself. If you look out into the world and only see people with personality traits and talents you admire but don’t possess, you’re probably not too fond of yourself. If the thought of doing anything at all by yourself (going to a movie, going out to eat, going to the mall, etc.) makes you cringe, it’s a tell-tale sign that you are probably not even close to being your own best friend.

The truth is that if you don’t like yourself, the thought of being alone in this world is very scary.

To suppress this fear people will try to level the playing field with a statement like “We’re all created equal” or a question like “What makes that person any better than me?” These phrases are the band-aids they use to cover the gaping wound that is their deep-seated dislike for themselves. To really fix the problem they will struggle to find acceptance and validation outside of themselves by any means possible. They will pair up with any group of friends that will give them the time of day, or desperately search for a significant other to complete them. They will change themselves and their core values completely for the chance to be apart of something... anything.

This is your life. You need to be content on your own first and foremost. Being content isn’t as easy as just telling yourself “I’m a special and unique snowflake; there’s no one in this world quite like me, and that makes me great!” It makes you average, at best. Self confidence and esteem aren’t things you can go around claiming unwarranted. It’s a challenge, a responsibility, and for anyone setting any real standards for themselves, it’s hard fucking work. Every person who decides to think highly of themselves has a job to strengthen the things they like about themselves and do their best to get rid of the qualities they don’t.

The crazy part about all this is that once you start enjoying your own company others will want to be around you. Your interests and the things you are working to improve about yourself will draw you to people with similar aspirations. Your relationships will be built on commonalities, and not desperation for acceptance. At the very least you’ll be able to go to the damn mall by yourself!

There’s something very attractive about someone who is truly comfortable in their own skin. Do whatever it takes to be attracted to yourself and you’ll never have to fear being lonely again.