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.