I want you to picture every person in this entire world sitting in front of a mirror, spending their time tearing themselves apart. All of us - back to back - speaking discouraging things over ourselves in the mirror, things we would never image speaking over someone else. Can you imagine it? One person is pulling at their frizzy hair because all they've ever wanted is slick straight hair. Another person is curling their hair, full of hatred for their lifeless wispy locks. Another one fights to lose their growing thighs while someone else wishes theirs were bigger; maybe then they wouldn't have been called a stick their entire life.

Isn't it sad? This image came to me as I picked away and sulked at the acne on my face. Acne? On my face? This is my point. I felt something tap me on the heart and I turned away from the mirror long enough to notice everyone around me doing the exact same thing. We think other people notice the flaws in us. But really, we are all just too busy wrapped up in ourselves to notice anyone else.

We need to disengage from this self-loathing, self obsessed, beat ourselves to tears kind of behavior. Recently, I've found myself limiting my time in the mirror - I don't want any reflection of myself to define how I feel. To define my day. That's up to me and only me. I am becoming confident in my skin and I don't need a mirror to either (1) affirm that or (2) remind me of my insecurities and trip me up.

If I spent less time counting the acne on my face, maybe I'd spend more time appreciating the fact that I have young skin that gracefully wears my emotions like a map. If I spent less time curling my hair, maybe I'd spend more time loving the fact that my hair reflects the very wild nature of my heart. If I spent less time kicking myself for not working out that night, maybe I'd spend more time in thankfulness that I enjoyed a night of extra cuddles with my husband.

I could go on and on and on. And I am sure you could too.

Get away from the mirror.

Get out of your own head.

Lift up you eyes and look around for a minute.

You are lovely. You are important. You are wonderful in every way.

If you left this world tomorrow, would you wish you spent more time chipping away at yourself?

Or would you wish you spent less time in the mirror and more time with your feet to the ground and heart on your sleeve, really living by the sun. Living this life.

Get away from that mirror and get out of your own head.

Life up your eyes and look around for a minute.

We are all in this together.

Nobody sees your flaws; I bet they don't even really exist.

And if they do, they don't matter. Not to me, not to anybody.

I want to see every bit of you owning this life you've been given.

Don't waste another second in front of your mirror.

It'll shatter as the day breaks anyways. Don't let it shatter you before then.