By Samantha McKenzie

Encourage yourself.

Don’t sit around waiting for someone to congratulate you for a job well done. Pat yourself on the back every time you think you deserve to be reminded about how great you are. You make a difference. You have talent. And you should count on yourself to acknowledge it.

Encourage yourself.

Look straight into your own mirror and tell yourself how gorgeous you are, how brilliant you are, and how undeniably ready you are for whatever’s up next. Celebrate the fact that you don’t look like anyone else. Reward yourself for standing out. Recognize it, own it, and then count your blessings.

Encourage yourself.

Be your own best friend. Support the things that you are most interested in. You don’t need a group vote to venture out into another one of your passions. Go it alone if you must, just don’t think you need a consensus every time you want to move forward. Just move.

Encourage yourself.

Take 5, 10, or 20 minutes out of your day to motivate yourself. Have open honest conversations about the stuff you like to talk about. Who better to evaluate you, than you. Use this time to talk next steps. Use the time to recognize you and to remind yourself that you are simply amazing. That’s right. You are.

Encourage yourself.

The truth is, if we spend time encouraging ourselves, we won’t be so dependent on others to do it for us. We can step confidently into the light, acknowledging our achievements and being grateful for every opportunity that we’ve received.

Encourage yourself. Because you deserve to hear it from you.

Encourage yourself. Because who else can tell you more about you.

Encourage yourself. Because it makes it easier for you to encourage others.

Encourage yourself. Every day.

Encourage yourself. Every time.

Encourage yourself. For always.