“Your body is made of the same elements that lionesses are built from. Three quarters of you is the same kind of water that beats rocks to rubble and wears stones away. Your DNA translates into the same twenty amino acids that wolf genes code for. When you look in the mirror and feel weak, remember, the air you breathe in fuels forest fires capable of destroying everything they touch. On the days you feel ugly, remember: diamonds are only carbon. You are so much more.” – Curtis Ballard

Do you remember when you were a little kid, running around on the playground with not a care in the world? Do you remember when you were in grade school, and boys were ‘icky’ and had cooties? I bet you remember when your heart was in one piece, don’t you? What changed? Maybe it was a single boy who changed your life, or maybe boys in general make you blush. But a little fact for you: Nothing has really changed since those days when boys didn’t mean a thing.

It may seem like it now, but what matters most in life isn’t boys. What matters in life isn’t how many kisses you’ve had, or how many hands you’ve held; what matters most is you. You should focus on you. Value yourself. Look in the mirror and be happy. Treat yourself the way you should be treated, and only let people in your life who are good for you. Don’t let anyone control you or distract you from what’s really important. I know you’ve probably heard it a million times , but you’ll look back to these years when your entire world revolved around how many boyfriends you’ve had — or even just trying to get boys’ attention — and you’ll laugh because it isn’t important.

Many girls these days don’t feel complete without a man by their side, and there’s something really wrong with that. You should feel complete by yourself. You aren’t half a beating heart. You aren’t half a brain. You are a full human being with bones, a nose, and two eyes. You are complete as is, and you don’t need a man to fill any empty void you feel.

Don’t waste your tears on boys. They aren’t worth it; actually, nobody is worth your tears. You’ve made it this far in your life, do not let anyone ruin your happiness. Maybe your heart has been broken too many times, or maybe boys just don’t acknowledge you, but just eat a piece of pizza, watch Netflix, and cry as much as you need. It’ll all be okay. Maybe not today, but someday it will be. No one but yourself can fix you. You don’t need anybody to make you feel better (Animals are 100% okay, though).

So, do yourself a favor: Take a day, a week, or even a month, and just pamper yourself. There’s nothing wrong with giving yourself flowers or buying yourself tickets to a movie. Who says you can’t give yourself hugs and kisses?

Remember that there are way too many fancy breakfast sandwiches to eat and way too many cheesy movies to watch to waste your life away chasing after boys. Buy yourself a train ticket and move to California. Collect buttons and name them. Buy 34 cats and set them in a room full of lasers. Whatever makes you happy, go out there and do it.

Be with someone who makes you happy.