Loving yourself should be easy, however in today's society we are constantly seeing unrealistic things and watching others lives go from rags to riches could all make this simple thing a little bit harder. I have 5 basic rules that I have used throughout my high school/college years that has helped me to become happy with myself. 

But a quick story first :)
When I was growing up, I was a skinny, dark skin girl with a gap between my two front teeth.. oh & not to mention puberty kicked in full fledge & the pimples were just the beginning! I would get teased for all of the things I mentioned, then during my senior year something drastic happened & I transferred schools to a Co-Ed High school. At this new school there wasn't nearly as many "cliques" as my old school. With that I easily became friends with many of the students. At this school, I started a cheerleading squad for our basketball team (which means I was held responsible for other girls). I was captain, I had a Co-Captain & 11 girls on the team. Having such a title I had to bring the confidence out of my girls. I couldn't complain about anything or that would show weakness & I could not have that! Almost Everyday of my senior year I had to constantly motivate these young women, tell them they're beautiful & most importantly I constantly instilled in them how important their role was in our team! There were so many moments where pep talks were needed during hair & makeup or right before a game, but I know I would have wanted my Captain/Coach to do the same. Moral of the story, I have gained a lot of my confidence by encouraging other girls. It has also made me much better at public speaking which is a big part of being confident in yourself.