Every female I have ever met in my life has some sort of insecurity regarding her appearance; whether she thinks she’s fat (despite only weighing a buck twenty-five soaking wet!), or her breasts are too small, or her nose is too big, or maybe she thinks she has a big ugly hammer toe. Who knows what goes on in an individual woman’s mind when it comes to her self-confidence and self esteem? It’s different for all of us, but we all fight it.

Every day the media practically screams in our faces that THIS is what we should look like, THIS is who we should aspire to be, THIS is what we should be doing with our lives! I say, who the heck do they think they are?

What gives the media the right to decide what makes an ideal woman?

Don’t Let Insecurity Hold You Down

It’s sickening to see the pain young girls and women go through each day over some flaw, or even just some perceived flaw, in their appearance. I should know, I occasionally battle with low self-esteem myself, bemoaning the fact that I’m not as skinny as I used to be after two kids. But this is just self-defeating behavior that I’m allowing to get in the way of living my life to the fullest.

Why do we do this to ourselves? Why not learn to embrace ourselves, to love ourselves just the way we are? It might be a cliché thought, but it holds a lot of weight with me: cultivate who you are on the inside, and that beauty will radiate out to the rest of the world. Make peace with who you are, what you’re capable of doing, and learn to flaunt your best assets.

Avoid the “Grass is Greener Syndrome”

I have learned the hard way that if you allow others to dictate how you feel about yourself, allow the superficial to stand in your way of being happy, you will never find peace and contentment. You will always be wondering what life would be like if you could just be a few pounds thinner, or if you could just have bigger lips, or if you could just be rich and famous like all the young starlets gallivanting about (and ending up in rehab, by the way)! It’s called the Grass Is Greener Syndrome, and I can tell you from experience, that just because the grass is greener, doesn’t make it better. In many cases it can be worse, because of the parts of yourself you had to sacrifice just to try out those greener pastures.

Insecurity is never attractive. Whether it’s insecurity in your looks, your life, or your relationships, it just looks ugly on everyone. Find your inner confidence, grab hold of it with both hands, and never let it go. It’s what will see you through some of the worst times in your life, and allow you to come out the other side still standing.

You’re Beautiful – End Of Story

Learn to see the beauty in yourself, cultivate your spirit on the inside, and brush off any negative thoughts or emotions that still linger inside you. If you’re having trouble finding your inner confidence, do what I do…Fake it till you make it! It works wonders for me, and it will work for you too. Just let go of all that self-defeating talk that you unravel inside your mind, and start rockin’ what you got!

I guarantee you will never look back.

[Photo by Saquan Stimpson]