4/20/11

I'm Too Sexy For My ,,,,

First off I want to take a moment and thank you all for your comments on my last post. I am flattered, I really really am!! There was a day when a bikini photo wouldn't have been taken let alone posted to the Internet for anyone to see. I am glad I have gotten to this point. Jena said it best: It's empowering.



















Seeing all of your comments coming in really got me thinking about self confidence (mine and others) and where it comes from. In the past, my own confidence came from (near) perfection. If I got an A+ on a paper I felt great. If I won a public speaking competition or was top of my class I felt proud and held my head high. If in someone else's estimation I was the funniest/smartest/prettiest girl I would smile ear to ear. On those days I was confident.

On the days when I wasn't the funniest, didn't get the best grade or found out I'd gotten a few questions wrong on an exam my confidence took a nose dive. But why? Only days earlier I was on top of the world. How could a 90% test score or someone else being called the most attractive girl in school change all that?

Perspective.

You see it was never about what it meant to be the best so much as how I viewed not being the best. The errors, the room for improvement, the good but not good enough. Even when I did well I would dwell on how I could have done better. And it has literally robbed me of so much pride and joy that I should have taken in the accomplishments that I have made.

Now is my chance to change all that. As I said yesterday I am not at my ideal weight but that doesn't mean that I can't be happy with the way I look or feel. If I focus on the positives (I love my curves in a sassy dress) instead of the negatives (I wish I had slimmer thighs) I am a happier girl without losing a single pound!
























Similarly I can choose to look at what I am doing to get ready for my upcoming 1/2 marathon (super hydrating. eating a variety of wholesome food, cross training) instead of obsessing about all the miles I didn't run or hills I didn't train on. Race day will come either way so its up to me to decide how I want to feel about it when it gets here.



















Realistically my life was never and will never be perfect. There will be bumps in the road, I will fall down and get back up, I will make mistakes, come in 2nd (or 302nd) and fly under the radar. Slowly but surely I am learning that its more than fine to be a work in progress. I'm perfectly imperfect and and that's is fine by me.

And if all else fails, I get an A+ in sass. Heck, I've got some to share if you're interested!!



















So tell me, what makes you feel confident? Go ahead and brag!

11 comments:

  1. Great post!! (I can relate haha). I would feel TOTALLY proud and definitely be showing off if I were you.. you look amazing!! =)

    Thanks for visiting my blog btw!! The sunshine WILL come your way! :)

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  2. Woah - beautiful photos in a beautiful place! You confidence in yourself is so refreshing and it shows on your face.

    What makes me feel confident? Doing something I love and I know I'm good at: helping others. Whenever I'm doing something for others, I feel on top of the world.

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  3. Just catching up on your posts now and I love them all! It looks like you had a fabulous holiday and I especially love your attitude in this post! Perfectly imperfect is just fine by me too. Right now, getting over a big obstacle at work makes me feel confident. Now that I'm past it, I feel like I can handle anything!

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  4. I love the sass! I think it's essential for any woman in today's world. ROck it :)

    My esteem used to rise and fall every other minute- luckily now it's stabilized a bit more, which is good because now that my belly is growing, I can't rely on a good body to make me feel good about myself!

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  5. Your confidence is inspiring -- really truly. I'd take some of your sass but my hubby thinks i have too much of my own. :)

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  6. LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS:

    "I'm perfectly imperfect and and that is fine by me".

    I feel confident when I succeed at helping someone at work. I love making a difference and knowing I did something for someone else. I feel confident when I push myself through a hard workout and then feel good afterwards. I feel confident that I can make my children feel better when they are upset.

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  7. Oh I forgot to comment how darn hot you looked in your bathing suit! You definitely radiated confidence!
    I go back and forth like you. It's that impossible "perfect" standard that I never seem to live up to. But really? Who is PERFECT? I love myself the way I am NOW! :) (even if I don't always mean it)

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  8. Oh my goodness, LOVE that dress. Can I ask who makes it? It's beautiful & you look hot.

    I am definitely more confident in myself when I'm working out & eating well - no matter what my weight.

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  9. I love your confidence - and I think you look great! I can always find reasons not to like how I look, feel, or act - so it's about ignoring that impulse for me!

    And running makes me feel confident!

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  10. You absolutely BEAUTIFUL & I loved this post!!
    & I'm in LOVE with your dress--- sooooo cute.

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  11. It is great to read some of the information and feedback, here. I hope to read more ideas in the future!!!

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