Hey there!
Oh my...I can't believe we are already approaching spring (I'm not complaining though!) I'm hoping that this will be one of my final winter-esque looks for the season...fingers crossed though. I have gotten sooooo mcuh use out of this color block poncho this season. Actually, I have gotten alot of use out of all of my ponchos this season. They are so versatile, and did I mention comfy!? I mean, come on..they are basically giant pieces of fabric that we throw over ourselves (actually, that is really what they are, haha!)
The other day "whats wrong with being confident" by Demi Lovato came on, and it really reminded me that who says confidence has to be something society frowns upon? Who says that confidence merely means you are cocky? It also reminded me that I have been meaning to touch on this topic that I have noticed so many girls struggle with today: confidence. I by no means am an expert in this subject, nor am I claiming to be the most confident girl out there. But, it seems to me that there are far more girls out there who struggle with this than I ever imagined. My personal battle with confidence began a longggg time ago. Like, lets take this back to middle school. When I was in middle school I constantly felt like an out cast, in fact, looking back I always thought I was the wierdo who had no friends (harsh, right!?) But upon actually talking to people who I knew back then, and are now friends with, most of them claimed to say that I wasn't actually that strange, I just secluded myself from everyone and that was the main strange thing about me.
So, looking back on that I can say that maybe we put ourselves in this box and that is all that we can be... this perception of ourselves that we have already concluded that "this is who I am, I cant change". Long story short, for me, confidence wasn't really something that happened over night. When I got to high school, nothing really changed. I continued to compare myself to others and constantly wish that I looked like her, dressed like her, was funny like him, or even fit in like them. And then, at some point in my final year of high school, I began to evolve. I began to see that I, myself was an individual who was unique and great in my own way. I began to see my weaknesses that had always bothered me, as strengths.
I found my niche (fashion, obvs) and stuck with it.
Funny story: not until I was confident in myself and felt that I didn't care if people judged me for starting a blog, did I actually start Hailey Daily. It took going from being a pretty low point in my life, and not relying on the little friends that I had to talk me up (or bring me down) to gain the confidence I have today. And I am still working on it. Every day I work on being confident in myself, and working on not second guessing myself, my fashion sense, or what people may or may not think of me. So having said all of that, here are my tips for working on your self-confidence:
1. Don't be afraid to be proud of yourself.
Celebrating your accomplishments is the best way to boost your confidence, its probably the main way that I stay confident. Even little things like doing your make up really well one day, or thinking positive thoughts. You don't have to share these proud moments, just be aware of them.
And that leads me to my next point..
2. Share your happiness and proud moments.
I feel that most people do this without thinking, but I worry that some don't because they feel like they are gloating. The best way to let people know how great you are is to share things that make you happy or that have made your day (or life) great.
3. Don't frown upon your weaknesses, work on them.
I feel that many people look at their weaknesses as things that can't be changed or that must be analyzed as every knows of them, or has noticed them before. Most girls that I know that struggle with confidence, struggle with this aspect most. Be happy with your weight, smile, the way you look in photos, your intelligence, your style, your friendship, every.single.thing. and people will notice. The girls that I have ever been jealous of, have always been confident. Confidence is one of the single things in your life you have complete control over. Use that to your advantage.
4. Confidence should not be mistaken with cockiness.
Its easy to confuse confidence with cockiness, and think that if one is confident in they way the look, act or dress, that they believe that they are the best at it, and they are full of themselves. However, this is not the case. You can be confident in knowing that your confidence is not a sign that you think you are the best. Its simply showing others you are secure in who you are.
5. Confidence is not just about superficial things, its about your entire being.
Confidence can also be mistaken with the idea that you can only be confident in your self-worth in terms of the superficial, meaning, looks, brains, personality. But it can also just be in yourself as a whole, you can be confident in the fact that you are alive today and can do great things.
I hope that this was helpful to you! If you enjoyed this and want to see more posts like it, comment below and let me know!
Thanks for reading!
Until next time..
Hailey Daily
