Our bodies are amazing creations. 

They have the ability to breathe, create energy, and grow all on their own. Our bodies expand, create more muscles and stronger bones, and change the complete chemical makeup of our bodies without us having to take a single second to command it to.

I have never had to think back and remember how to breathe or remind my body to break down the food I eat. 

When I look at the marvelous miracle that our bodies are and the events that line up to create my strong legs that carry me wherever I please, the midriff that has the ability to grow a whole human being inside it, the strong hands that allow me to express myself through my writing, and a plethora of other small pieces that make me so interesting and beautiful, it makes me wonder why I hated everything about myself for so long. 

I longed to change and mold myself to blend in like a paper doll among other people. People who had the same desire to mold themselves to look like those they admired and to change everything about themselves as well. 

But the sad truth is, I really have no way to drastically change my looks. I am unable to be born again but with smaller bones, thinner facial features, or smaller feet. 

Yes, there are surgeries that can give you a similar effect, but in the end, I am born to be who I am. I was not created out of millions of decisions and possibilities to spend my life hunkered down wishing that I could change. 

This thought process is the one thing that leads me forward and helps build my confidence in how I look, dress, and appear in the eyes of others. 

I am my biggest critic; I’ve always known this, but I continuously disregarded it and myself to diet more, exercise harder in workouts, and ignore my deteriorating mental state. 

But, that has changed now. I’ve taken the biggest step of loving myself, accepting that I can’t truly change what I look like and that I need to learn to live with the stunning, powerful body I have been handed. 

My diet has turned into nourishment for my body so it has the strength to carry me everyday, workouts have become short, fun segments of time for me to grow muscle and be able to push myself even more, and I’ve started to dress in a way that is comfortable to me and that makes me happy. 

Self-confidence and loving yourself is a difficult goal to achieve, but I’ve learned that the first step is acceptance. I’m accepting that I am all I’ve got and that how I view myself is completely different from the image those around me see.

Acceptance is the first step in a long and tumultuous journey of trusting and nourishing your body to be the best version of itself that it can be.