Do We Need Other's Approval But Our Own?

There is only one happiness; to love and be loved - George Sand

Love, the epitome of one’s soul. To justify one’s love with the mere thought of happiness makes the essence of love seem unfulfilling. Happiness can come from anything and everything but don’t underestimate the power of love. Love is more than just happiness. It has its own category to fill with exuberance, passion, pleasure, and finality. Many people like George Sand believe love is the only thing that exudes happiness. This quote boils down to the love you share with someone else. Just because you love someone doesn’t guarantee that it makes you happy. Having someone love you doesn’t mean that you are happy because of it. Happiness comes from many things and if you have love and it makes your sky filled with rainbows, then you are one lucky person.

There is a lot of terms for love and self-love is one.

You can love everything about yourself because you believe you are perfect just the way you are. Having that kind of mentality about yourself can make you happy because you are the one that must live with yourself. You can like the new dress you bought because it hugs your body and curves in just about all the right ways. The new hairstyle you’ve gotten makes you feel great because it compliments your face no other hairstyle could ever do. You can love the high heel shoes you rewarded yourself with because it makes your legs look amazing and who's to stop you from showing off your sexiness to the world. You can love the lipstick color you wear because it makes your lips look inviting and if people want to stare why not? It’s what you’re going for!

All the things I've mentioned above are compliments of love and happiness. But it doesn’t mean you have to live with both to say your life is fulfilled. You can have one without the other. Though you might have all these things that make you happy, love isn’t in the equation — at least not the romantic kind of love.

However, I will not knock down genuine love between two people (never!) Just think about this, another person can’t love you if you can’t find it within to love every part of yourself.

Think about it this way.

We all like a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That’s if you’re not allergic to either one of those ingredients. Peanut butter alone makes your mouth dry after eating it by itself for a period of time. The gooey texture of the peanut butter becomes hard to swallow at some point. When jelly comes into the mix, it gives the sandwich a nice mixture of something thick and sweet. Love is the thickness of the sandwich. Sometimes it is hard to find love or let yourself fall and happiness is the sweetness that comes along after you’ve just gotten a taste.

Let’s go back to the points I've made.

If you don’t love yourself, how can you be happy?

If that dress you spent so much money on doesn’t fit you right, are you happy about the money you've wasted?

That new hairstyle; if you walk out of the hair salon feeling unsatisfied are you going to keep
rocking it? (When you are displeased, speak up girl!)

If that lipstick color doesn’t compliment your skin complexion, or it doesn’t look right on you,
are you going to continue to wear it?

Hopefully, these answers will be no. Happiness comes in all shapes and sizes, products, clothes material, self-confidence, and whatever else makes you happy. Love is just one factor of happiness, love isn’t the only factor.

The question is, which one resonates with you?