So normally I only post about hair, makeup, general beauty stuff and occasionally fashion but recently I've decided there's so much more I want to talk about and after all this is my platform to talk about whatever I need/want to.
During the week I saw this quote on Instagram & I had to repost it (my Instagram @alimartinx).
When I read it, it was like something just clicked with me and it felt like it was directed at me. Growing up I wasn't one of those girls who had naturally perfect skin or hair and I was always bigger than most other kids my age. I didn't have much self confidence at all but growing up and learning who I am and who I wanted to be made my confidence grow but I felt people shunning me for it sometimes. As if just because I wasn't confident before doesn't mean I don't have the right to be confident now.
When people ask me how I over came that and how I'm so confident and comfortable with myself now, I firmly believe it's because I know who I am, it took me 22 years but I know what's important to me and what's not. No, I'm not happy 24/7, I'm not flawless but no one is and that's perfectly fine. I can be an absolute mess of a person sometimes but that's just me, I am a work in progress.
If you want to be confident you need to accept yourself for who you are, flaws and all. Don't change yourself or your values for anybody else because at the end of the day you are only responsible for your own happiness. When it comes to yourself the only opinion that matter should be your own. You don't been to be validated by other. If your confidence depends on how others see you then you're never going to be 100% happy with yourself.
Social media is a great thing, especially for bloggers etc., but it can give you a false sense of reality. It is all over produced content, most Instagram pictures go through several filters before being uploaded. People are selective with what they put online, they only put out there what they want people to see and know. We need to remember this when looking online, otherwise our sense of reality will become warped and this will definitely effect our self confidence.
For me personally my weight was always an issue and it was directly linked to my lack of self confidence. My weight loss journey wasn't just about a number on the scale or about size, it was and still is about how I feel. When I started loosing weight I felt more comfortable going to the gym, which meant I would go more often and push myself harder. Another issue I had was being a tomboy. When I was in secondary school I was quite young, one of the youngest in my year, some of the girls in my class were nearly 2 years older than me. This mad me feel very boyish and behind when it came to hair, makeup, clothes. So I started to watch YouTube videos to teach myself how to do my hair & makeup but I didn't come into my own until 6th year/ my first year of college. It has been a long process and it's still on going.
As women we need to change the way we speak about ourselves, we need to stop comparing ourselves to other women and we need to putting ourselves down. It's easier said than done, I know but what worked most of all for me was 'faking it until you make it'. I believe the universe will reflect back what you put out.
Love,
A x
