Building Confidence from the Inside Out!

If I asked you to name off ten things you don't like about yourself, how long would it take to complete the list?  Depending on where you on with your journey, it may be seconds, or might still be looking at me and still have a blank page minutes later.

But take heart! If you jotted down a bunch of negative things off the hop, don't worry! You are perfect! You are beautiful! And you're reading the right post!

As part of my exploration I wrote down a few items that I didn't like about myself. I realized as I analyzed them there wasn't one thing on the list that I couldn't change. My largest item on that list (in fact the only thing I even remember now) was my weight. See I used to be a skinny little thing but I allowed stress of life and depression to sway my self-worth. I gained weight.  But does the scale define who I am?  Absolutely not!

Maybe your list includes things that are not easily changed. You have freckles and you hate them, or you have a slit limp when you walk. So what? Really, what does it matter over all? In fact these things that you dislike give you character and add uniqueness. They make you, you, and that's the best person you can be!

So how do you go from hating (or disliking) things about yourself to loving and accepting yourself as you are? Immediately stop the negative self-talk! Don't comment, even to family, friends, or coworkers about this characteristic you dislike about yourself. Each time you say things like this your brain, your soul, hears that it is in insignificant in some way, that you are less than worthy. It effects your feelings of self-worth and distorts your image of self.

For me, I found the foremost thing that helped was shutting down this negative commentary. I realized I am loved, that I am beautiful no matter what form or shape I'm currently in. I don't see myself as overweight or fat (what a horrible word!). I see myself as beautiful.

It's even easier to see the transformation as I look back--how I went from feeling the extra weight--to just 'being', loving and accepting of myself. I used to make comments about 'oh when I was lighter', or 'when I was in better shape,' and I know there are a bunch I am forgetting. If you're going through trying to lose weight, you can empathize with the feelings of 'when I lose weight.' This thinking tells you that you don't deserve happiness 'until.' No, you deserve happiness now!

Why not run this experiment yourself, focusing on your energy shift? Say a negative comment about yourself.  Feel that pull you down? Now say something positive and loving, believe it. Experience the lift of emotion--that's your shining soul dying to break through! Reach for it and pull it out. :)