Finding my way to Confidence
FINDING MY WAY TO CONFIDENCE IS BELIEVING MYSELF
When nobody else does!
Confidence had played somewhat a complicated role in my early days. While growing up I was very confident in some areas, yet I had very little confidence in some other aspects of life. For example, I was quite confident in my academic performances but I was not confident in the way I looked. In simply honest terms, I didn’t have the confidence to believe that I was beautiful.
There were so many factors that were bringing down my confidence such as the constant comments from people emphasising how unattractive they thought I looked or having to listen to some horrible comparisons of beauty done by people who thought they were more good looking.
I was very aware of my lack of confidence and one thing was for sure. That is, as non-confident as I was about my appearance during these early ages , I knew that if anyone could change this situation, it is myself. Once I knew this, I also knew that it will take time and quite a lot of effort from my side to bring myself to believe in something so different to what I have always known. Hence, it is going to be challenging. I remember once my father told me “Darling, You have incredible will power. So if you decide to achieve something in life, your hard work will always be fruitful” and I remembered this.
When growing up looking beautiful or attractive was never one of my primary goals . I wasn’t the one to worry too much about clothes or to wear makeup. I, instead concentrated on school work and getting ahead of the academics because I knew that if I could make something solid of myself and become independent and successful, being beautiful will be in my fingertips. All I had to do then was to work hard and invest in a future that had strong foundations.
So I did. For many years to come, I stayed faithful to my ambitions. It was not an easy journey in any way or form, but it is a one that I would like to look back on with a smile.
Now, after all these years, I am very happy and quite proud to say the plan that 8 or 9 year old me laid out has worked. I achieved the independence and the career that I wanted and confidence is something I cultivated in the background while I work hard and stayed focused. Every hurdle that I passed in life added a drop to my confidence and as time went on I realise how powerful it really is and the world of difference it makes in my life.
I have learnt that, most of the time, the true reason why people make horrible and harsh comments about someone else is either because of their envy or because they feel better by doing so as it feeds in to their own insecurities. These people are not very happy themselves so what is being expressed is the projection of their own thoughts.
However, once you develop a solid confidence, it is more empowering than any strength that comes your way. It gives you the power to smile at an envy comment and what the world would think is no longer in the equation of happiness. So you are happier, stronger, more successful and of course more beautiful!
If I can pass on one lesson out of all these, it would be to be the king or the queen of your own life and your own thoughts. The world can have countless opinions on you but what counts is the opinion you have on yourself. If you believe that you are beautiful, then you are beautiful! It is a bit like when you are certain the earth is round, that certainty is not shaken by no matter how many people say it is flat!
