Confidence

If you doubt yourself,

it shows.

If you doubt yourself,

why shouldn't everyone else?

If you love yourself,

others will notice

If you love yourself,

others have no choice but to fall

into that elegant magnetism.

It's not about how much time

you spend in front of the mirror;

it's about being comfortable

in your own skin.

That's confidence.

That's attraction.

That's the person

everyone wants to know

everyone wants to love

everyone wants to be.

When you're confident,

self~consciousness becomes overshadowed

by consciousness of others.

When you're confident,

focus shifts from inward to outward.

In the comfort of confidence

you can calm tension in others

as you reach beyond yourself

and infect others to love life as you do.

You see the world as a better place,

and you invite others to live with you there.

You see the "best" in life

and live as if it's already here,

regardless of anyone else's opinion.

It doesn't happen overnight.

It takes work to struggle with who you are

and finally come to terms with your true self,

your strengths and your weaknesses.

To know that this is who you are

and who you are supposed to be.

It brings openness and honesty,

It confronts you

with identity

with emotion

with desire.

And no one will have to guess

who or where you are

and what it is you want.

When you are confident about how you feel about yourself,

you can own about how you feel about others

and accept how they feel about you.

You can find solace in relationship

and live in comfort of the the knowing

how to be trusting and trust~worthy.

And it won't matter

if you've just rolled out of bed,

and your hair is a mess,

and you have dried drool on your chin,

and you're wearing the same pjs you've worn all week,

and you stink because you haven't showered yet...

None of that will matter...

Because,

if you love yourself,

you've learned what love is

you've accepted who you are

you've found freedom in yourself.

You will understand

that you are already worthy of that love.

You will understand

that you are beautiful ~

even in that state of disarray.

You will understand

There's not one pair of strappy heels,

not one curling iron,

not one perfect shade of lipstick,

not one cute little black dress

that will make you any more beautiful than you already are.

That all those things are fine,

but they're nothing more than tools to add

accent to your beauty

and a light to someone's eyes.

But you won't NEED them,

to be more than who you are

You'll be the one you love, regardless.

If you lack confidence,

ponytails will make you look like a silly child,

rather than a mature woman who adores life.

If you lack confidence,

flirting will be shallow and phony,

instead of a chance to hint

at mysterious depths unknown

and whimsical flights of adventure.

If you lack confidence,

the sexiest or most elegant dress

will never hang right

or make you look fat

or will always be completely out of place.

If you can't walk with your head held high,

you won't be able to balance in high heels,

so you'll feel tiny, or stupid,

or blend into the crowd.

And when you finally own this,

it's not to impress someone else

or make them happy,

but it's for yourself and your joy.

You won't need to try too hard.

You won't have to feel desperate for love

or starve for company.

The company of yourself will be enough.

You can adapt to what life throws your way

and love every minute

of the challenge and the journey.

You'll be noticed and loved of course,

but it won't matter that you are

(or aren't),

because your worth is not based on someone else's opinion.

All that will matter is how you feel about yourself,

how you walk, how you talk, who you are...

and how you present yourself boldly to the world.

It's about accepting both

compliments and criticism with grace,

learning from both,

and throwing out what doesn't apply or matter.

It's about learning to live with yourself,

and allowing others to live with you too.

~~~~~~~

"Beauty is being in harmony with what you are." ~Peter Nivio Zarlenga
(Thanks, Ami, for sharing this quote!)