UA&P'S I AM S.T.R.O.N.G

Jewelz says:

When I was in middle school and high school, I didn’t have much self-esteem. I would always compare myself to others and always think that there’s always someone better than me.

There would also be social groups: the popular ones, the cheerleaders, the jocks, and so on. The group of friends that you hung out with also shows who you are. This puts a lot of pressure on me aside from my schoolwork because I would always think about the way I dress and the way I look.

It was only later that I realized that I didn’t have to dress up to please anybody or project a certain image to show who I am, rather, I started dressing up in clothes that I feel comfortable in.

I was able to develop confidence in myself and I started feeling more comfortable in my own skin. I think being able to accept who you are, your hair, your eyes, your nose, and everything about you is one of the first steps in building confidence.

At first, this was quite difficult since I always compared myself to others and in middle school and high school, we are all experiencing changes. When I started accepting who I was and knowing that I couldn’t change it, I started believing in myself and started thinking of ways how I can improve myself. I first started “getting to know myself” again by finding out my strengths and weaknesses. Once I figured that out, I started working on my weaknesses.

For example, I knew that I was really shy and it stopped me from participating in class. It dreads me having other people look at me when I speak. I would then challenge myself and participate the next day. Every time I would participate in class, I would feel much better and happy I was able to accomplish a little goal. When I felt comfortable participating in class, I started speaking in front of the class. Little goals can help in achieving my big goal of overcoming shyness by speaking in front of the class.

I think having confidence has done a lot for me. It made me look better since I can hold my head up high and not walk with a slouch. I can communicate with others better by looking them in the eye. I can talk in front of the class and deliver a presentation, although I get nervous sometimes. In flag football tournaments, I can play well because I know my capabilities.

I believe that we first have to trust and believe in ourselves before we can trust others.

What are other ways to boost our confidence? And when do you feel confident? :)