Be Your Own Best Friend

***Warning:  This blog has nothing to do with running.  Come back soon for more run-based blogs.  

Don't you love best friends?  They are the absolute best. I have been ridiculously blessed with an amazing group of best friends. I honestly could not imagine what my life would be without them. I can safely say it would not be as good as it is now. My friends have done and been everything for me. 

Best friends are the first to tell you what you refuse to see. They are your true reflection when the mirror you are looking in is distorted. When your eyes are clouded with poor judgement, it's your best friends who can show you the way.  They see you as you really are and they know you more than you know. Best friends care and support us in ways we refuse to do for ourselves.

I cannot tell you the number of in my life that I can look back on now and realize that my best friends were right. I wasn't so fat. I did deserve more. I was wasting my time with him. All of these lessons  my best friends were trying to teach me if only I had believed them. 

And the same can be said for me as a friend. I am the first to say (and truly believe) that my friends are AMAZING. I believe my friends are smart, funny, and beautiful. I believe they all have gorgeous bodies. But more than that, I believe that their worth as human beings is SO much bigger than the size or shape of their bodies. I want all of my friends to know that they are deserving of all the best this world has to offer and that they should never, ever settle for anything (or anyone) that does not make them truly happy or truly fulfilled. 

I've been bothered because recently I've had several talks with several friends and it has become very clear to me that they do not see themselves the way their best friends see them. They do not realize how worthy they are. They are settling for less than they deserve.  These are the same exact people who wouldn't (and don't) hesitate a second to tell me how worthy I am. They are the same people who would never let me speak about myself as they speak about themselves. And, if I was settling for or putting up with the same things they are allowing themselves to settle for, they would grab me by the shoulders and shake some sense into me until I could see what they see. Yet, they refuse to see the truth about themselves.  

So this is my challenge to those people and to all of you....and if I'm truly honest, to myself:  

Be your own best friend. 

Don't just tell others how amazing they are, tell yourself (and believe) that you are also amazing. Respect yourself as you respect your best friends (they seem to love you, why is it so hard for you to love you?). Do for yourself what you would not hesitate to do for your best friend.  You are every bit was wonderful, beautiful, and worthy as those around you.  Don't just hear what your friends have to say about you, listen, repeat, and most Importantly, BELIEVE it about yourself.  Be the voice that tells you how amazing you are. Be your own best friend. 

My wish for all of you is that one day you can say this to yourself: