Of a Good Courage

I am now a college student. I am a Brigham Young University Cougar. I've been through several emotions whenever contemplating this in the last several weeks, but now it's real and you know what? It feels great. Yes, there are still lots of things I have at least some worry about (especially getting lost on campus....if you recall, I am directionally challenged), but I have so many great opportunities ahead of me and have already gotten to have great opportunities from the leadership conference I went to for incoming freshman and my first day of Orientation. It's a wonderful whirlwind, and I'm proud to say that I've really put myself out there when facing this new campus, new home, and the THOUSANDS of people who make up my freshman class. You want to know how I accomplished this confidence in the face of newness and change? Courage.

Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9

One trick to being confident is finding your courage. It takes courage to initiate a conversation. It takes courage to put your true self out there. It takes courage to try new things. It takes courage to take charge of your life. Find courage, and you can claim your confidence. And you don't have to be Hercules. You don't have to face monsters everyday without so much as a flinch. Sometimes all you need is that small dose of courage to take on the little things. Sometimes that courage that comes with a deep breath is enough to give your confidence the boost it needs.

I love this quote (and this movie) because it is so true. Sometimes you just have to push past the twist in your gut and the thumping of your heart and just gather up all the courage in your body for one burst. Sometimes you just have to take the leap. And sometimes, your leap will fall short. Sometimes it won't all work out. Sometimes your embarrassing bravery will end with an embarrassing outcome. Sometimes courageous actions aren't met with success

And that's okay.

It's okay to fail. In fact, it is great to fail, because how else do you learn? How can you ever be truly confident in yourself unless you learn to be courageous and confident regardless of the outcome? Anyone can be confident when things are going just their way. It takes a truly confident person to face problems, fears, and doubts with courage, knowing that it might not work out, but that even if it doesn't, you tried. You did it. You talked to that cute boy, even if he didn't show any interest. You raised your hand to answer the question, even if you got the answer wrong. You set off alone to find your orientation group's meeting spot, even if you made a wrong turn and ended up walking farther than you had too and arrived a few minutes late.

You do not have to do everything right to have confidence.

You just have to have the courage to do it.

So put yourself out there. Find your courage and just try. Take the leap into the unknown, leave that starting line behind you, abandon your comfort zone. I promise you, something good will come of it. Be strong. Be courageous. Be confident.

You Deserve Confidence

Confidence. I don't know about you, but I used to hear that word and think of some gorgeous girl in red lipstick strutting down the street in massive heels. I used to think you had to be successful, beautiful, and/or naturally gifted to have confidence. But let me share with you something I've learned only after years of stumbling down a difficult road:

Confidence is NOT something you earn.

Confidence is something you learn.

Yes, supermodels can be confident. But so can bookworms. TV stars can be confident, but so can mathematicians. There is no test you need to pass, no standard you need to meet to be allowed to be confident in yourself. Everyone in this world has their own gifts, their own strengths, their own characteristics and accomplishments and quirks they can find confidence in. You just need to learn to be confident in those that you have.

You have the right to love yourself just the way you are.

It's great to see those in life who seem successful and use them as inspiration. It is not okay to think that you are worth any less than them or that you can't achieve what they have or that what you have achieved so far is any less important than what they have accomplished. You are your own unique, beautiful, wonderful person and there is so much about you to love. I promise there is at least someone out there who looks up to you and someone out there who thinks you are worth loving. Learn to see that in yourself.

You have the right to be confident in yourself regardless of what you have or have not done.

 Learn to celebrate every victory. I'll tell you a personal experience as an example. It is mildly embarrassing (as most of my best experiences are), but I think worth sharing. I have always had a tough time with directions. And by tough time, I mean I could get lost in a Wal-mart with a map in hand. Because of this, I have to use my phone's GPS to get ANYWHERE. Including places I've been my whole life. Just the other day I met a friend for lunch (sidenote: do this and do this often. Nothing beats just talking and catching up), and afterwards I went to pick up our dog from the lovely family who watched him while we were gone. I was able to get to BOTH places without my phone, and while for everyone else this is a simple task, to me it was a victory, and I was proud of myself for it.

Never let anyone else tell you what is and is not important, noteworthy, or significant.

You are in charge of your life. You know yourself better than anyone else, with the one all-knowing exception, and if you want to throw yourself a party because you didn't yell at your teacher today, do it! You know what is a big deal to you, so have confidence in your successes, no matter how big or small. God knows you, too, and I promise He celebrates your every victory, even the minuscule and mundane. He believes in you and loves you just the way you are and knows that you have the potential to do more than you can even dream of. He is there rooting for you, always.

It is NOT you against the world.

Trust me, I've been there. I've felt completely alone, but every time I've been reminded of God and His infinite love and wisdom. He understands, even when you feel like no one else does. That being said, you'd be surprised how many people are in your same boat. NEVER assume that someone's life is perfect or that they never have a self-deprecating thought just because they seem confident or successful. Just like no one but you and God truly knows everything about you, you can't know everything going on in someone else's life. Everyone has problems and everyone struggles with self-confidence at least sometimes.

Bottom line: You Deserve Confidence

So go out there and find it.