Â
Acceptance and Recognition from other people:
Emily: We have this instinctive societal pressure to be understood and accepted by everyone else.  I can tell you first-hand that it definitely hurts to be treated like youâre inferior⊠High school was hard.  But you should never think that you should have to fundamentally change something about yourself.  Iâve realized that I may have never been a âcoolâ person and I may never be the most talked about person in the room.  But I am a person and that is enough.
You are not what others make you out to be. You make your own choices in life, and those choices help shape your image of yourself.
The more you realize your potential rather than whether or not you are doing everything perfectly, the easier it will be to feel positive. Â Whether itâs simply feeling like youâre part of an inside group, or getting the recognition you believe you deserve, ultimately the only acceptance that you need is from yourself.
Barbara: Youâre never going to be satisfied with everyone. There are going to be people who will never accept or love you like you deserve, and thatâs the honest truth there is. But youâll never be satisfied with anything until youâre satisfied with yourself.
Too many people are judgmental. Too many people could care less about your happiness. But those people arenât worth your time.
Itâs hard trying to impress or satisfy people who do matter like your parents. The need for approval and wanting them to be proud of you will never go away. All of that is great, but remember never to compromise your ambitions, goals, and passions for someone elseâs approval.
Being Single:
Emily: I canât tell you how many times Iâve heard someone around me say, âI NEED a guy.â Â The sad thing about this is that the more I see a person lament about this, the more it can become the source of their depression. Â But thereâs a real problem there. Â No one NEEDS a significant other to validate them as a worthwhile person. Â In the end, thatâs where that desperation comes from: A desire to be loved and accepted by another person. Â If they really wanted a relationship, they would want it for a specific person that theyâd developed strong feelings for. Â Thatâll come with time.
Besides, weâre so young! We have all this time to focus on ourselves right now. Who needs a relationship?
Barbara: Itâs a wonderful thing to be loved by a special someone. I miss that feeling. But that feeling isnât everything and shouldnât be your number one obligation. I feel like too many people, including myself, find themselves desperately searching for happiness from someone else rather than finding it in themselves. Â Love is beautiful thing and highly contributes to someoneâs happiness. Â But honestly, you canât love someone to your fullest, the way they deserve, unless you love yourself. Â In all honestly, I wouldnât be able to love to the fullest. And I know plenty of people who would say the same. Itâs sad, but that just means sometimes you have to focus on yourself to get what you want in a relationship.
Body Image and Self-Esteem:
Emily: I think everyone is beautiful.  Although a good personality is the most important, thatâs not what I meant.  Itâs true that a good personality shines through and makes anyone look better.  But the physical differences that people have; in their facial structures, skin-tones, body types, voices, teeth, just about anything, make me admire them.  I genuinely think that many âimperfectionsâ are so attractive.  Who would want everyone to look extremely similar, if not the same, to everyone else to fit a certain standard of beauty?  Thatâs boring!  ⊠And pretty eerie.  If youâve seen that episode of The Twilight Zone, âNumber 12 Looks Just Like You,â youâll understand what I mean.
Barbara: Itâs hard growing up now. We are always getting compared to someone else, and most of the time we are the ones doing it to ourselves.
Your self-worth shouldnât be something you compromise, something you disregard, or something you throw away all together. Itâs everything. At the end of the day you need to believe youâre worth it. Because if you do, itâll affect everything: your confidence, your dreams, and your overall well-being.
We are all pretty different. Embrace it. Screw everyone who thinks otherwise.
Stress:
Emily: I think the most important thing Iâve learned about happiness is that you choose whether or not you will be happy.  If you let little things stress you out, then you will be worried and unhappy.  Yes itâs important to plan ahead and have ambition for your life, but in the long run everything is going to be okay.  Someday you will become financially successful, meet the love of your life, and fulfill all your hopes and dreams⊠at least thatâs the attitude to have.  Because if you let stress and anxiety affect your life, none of that will happen will it?