Forget Barbie and Ken.

I continually strive to be a better person to myself and to others. Self-reflection is an essential part of maturing because it helps us turn ideas and thoughts into tangible and measurable benchmarks on our path to being a better version of ourselves. Whether we talk about how we look, how we act, or how we think, having the discussion internally or externally helps us find what feels good in our lives and cope with our internal struggles. It's not always easy, but you have to learn to love yourself inside and out - to forgive your misgivings, focus on the positives, and be more comfortable in your own skin. This is an ongoing battle for me, but it's a battle I’m willing to fight because I’m worth it - you're worth it.

As we continue to come to grips with who we are through introspection, friendships, relationships, or happenstance meetings, hopefully people will recognize you for you or me for me and appreciate what makes us interesting and unique. There's nothing fun and intriguing about uniformity - we can't and shouldn't all try to look like Barbie and Ken, but sometimes being yourself just doesn’t feel good enough. A message to you (and me) if you think that: don't you ever be afraid of all of your beauty.