Earlier this year, during my spring break before heading back to school, I bought myself a ring from Pandora that I had my eye on for quite a while. I loved this ring because when you look at it, the way it sparkles it just makes you feel like a million bucks wearing it. I was going through a really rough patch in my life when it came to wanting to be in a relationship so I figured that buying this ring would be a promise to myself to always love the reflection I see in the mirror and to never give up on myself even during the darkest of times.

I have had a handful of people in my life receive promise rings from their significant others. Some of these relationships are still going strong and are still dating or have even gotten engaged or marries. For others, they have separated and eventually the rings were returned, losing that promise that was made. I want others to know that they are worth more than a ring on their finger, a relationship that they are in and they are especially more important than the opinions of others that we think to define us when they should not even matter in the end.

After going through this rough patch with a guy who ended up breaking my heart, I knew it was time to move forward and start taking care of myself more.

I bought my dream ring which in the end cost about $80, but it was the best money I have truly ever spent. This ring has been worn religiously for the past seven months except for times when I am at work or the gym so that it doesn't get ruined, and it serves as a constant reminder of how much I need to always love and care about myself whenever I look down at it. In order to allow for there to be room in your life and have another person love and care about you, you must first love and care about yourself. If you hate the reflection you see in the mirror, you can't rely on a significant other to change your opinion of that reflection. I wouldn't want my opinion of myself to be based on what my significant other thinks of me.

I would want to go into a relationship loving who I am wholehearted as a person so that I can then pursue this relationship with enough confidence that is needed to maintain a bond with another person.

Loving yourself is definitely easier said than done. For me, I like to sit back and think about how different the lives of the people around me would be if I wasn't a part of it. My laugh, terrible dad jokes, my incredible baking skills and my ability to turn people's frowns into smiles. As nice as it is to hear from other people how important we are to them, it's also important to remind yourself that you deserve love and happiness which can come to you by taking some time to relax and say that you are an incredible person who deserves a life full of success!!!