Looking the world straight in the eye

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No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”– Eleanor Roosevelt

We all know the typical labels: jock, popular, nerd, dork, loner, outsider, etc. While some of these labels are hurtful, we tend to just accept them, especially when we're in high school. These usually define us for those four short years, though they feel like a lifetime. But we outgrow them and start developing new labels as we enter new chapters of our lives.

However, some labels may stick with us forever, constantly eating away at us. These can include slut, ugly, fat, stupid and so many more. These are the labels that don't actually define us, but we focus on them, letting them consume our thoughts. When we focus and believe these negative labels, they begin to harm our self-identity, changing the way we view ourselves. It's awful that we have come to accept these labels as okay instead of standing up to these labels and refuse to let them define us any longer. “We are what we have been told about ourselves. We are the sum of the messages we have received. The true messages. The false messages.”- Donald Barthelme

Instead of accepting such negative labels, we should be instead labeling people with words such as confident, beautiful, inspiring and leader. We should be building each other up and encourage each another. Until we decide to get rid of our negative and untrue labels, we can never accept just how wonderful we all are, and nothing will get better. “It ain’t what they call you, it’s what you answer to.”– W.C. Fields

Tomorrow, I want to you to leave one negative label about yourself behind. Tell a close friend what you are doing, whether it's stopping yourself from calling yourself fat, ugly or whatever negative label you choose to deal with. Let that friend hold you accountable, making sure you aren't saying things or acting in ways that only reinforce that specific negative label. Continue until you no longer believe that negative label, but now replace it with a positive word. Make it one that makes you happy and encouraged, you're worth it. Someone else’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality. “You don’t become what you want, you become what you believe” – Oprah Winfrey

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