Yes, it’s okay to be you!

October 12, 2011
by • 9 Comments
First I have to admit my age, I’m older than you which by default means I don’t understand what the “kids of today” are experiencing – how could I? But I have something in common with you – I am a woman who struggled with self-esteem and confidence.

I often wonder if this comes from being a child of divorce at 13 or maybe it was because I wore glasses and braces had curly hair and thick eyebrows (we didn’t have our eyebrows done when I was your age). Maybe I struggled because I was often mistaken for little boy when I was a child because I didn’t wear dresses but I wore sneakers and played softball.

How I wish I had thought more of myself then. But how could I? I didn’t feel like I fit in, I was different. I looked different and I felt different but the truth was I was exactly the same as my friends; we all were struggling to belong and feel good about ourselves.

I am what people would call a late bloomer (look it up) and I didn’t come into my own until I was in my early 20’s and even then (and sometimes now) I struggle. Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will people like me? The truth is the only thing that matters is how you feel about you!

When you look in the mirror you need must find your beauty and it looks different on everyone so you cannot and should not compare yourself to anyone else. You have something to offer this world and it is not always something you know about at your age today but rather it is something you will nurture and develop – something you will grow into.

I think the hardest thing you will learn is to love who you are and that “you can’t please everyone, so you have to please yourself” which by the way is a line from a song my mom sang to me when I was a young girl, here is the YouTube link – take a peek: Garden Party

Now this doesn’t mean you have permission to treat people poorly, it simply means you can’t define yourself by what others think and the most important thing is to be true to you because as the song says:

But it’s all right now, I’ve learned my lesson well
You see, you can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself

Until next time…

Photo Credit

Filed Under: Miss Unlimited Tagged With: , , , , , ,
About Lori Luna

Comments

  1. Naomi De La Torre says:
    October 12, 2011 at 10:42 am

    What a truly awesome and empowering message! I totally struggled with my self-esteem as a teen and I wish I could’ve read something like this back then. Love the song you linked too!

    Twitter Name:

    Reply
    • Lori Luna says:
      October 12, 2011 at 11:30 am

      Thanks girlie – appreciate the support! And that song has been with me forever! My mom started playing that for me when I was 5!

      Twitter Name:

      Reply
  2. UnknownMami says:
    October 13, 2011 at 5:03 pm

    Beautifully put.

    Twitter Name:

    Reply
  3. Anissa Mayhew says:
    October 14, 2011 at 4:07 pm

    *as Rachael’s mom*

    This was a great post and one that made sense to my 10yo. TY!

    Twitter Name:

    Reply
  4. JW Moxie says:
    October 15, 2011 at 5:12 pm

    “Am I good enough? Will people like me?”

    These are questions that I STILL wrestle with. But unlike when I was a teenager, I don’t let those thoughts win.

    Awesome post, Lori Luna!

    Twitter Name:

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Are You “Too Pretty To Do Homework?” | Aiming Low says:
    October 26, 2011 at 9:11 am

    [...] I don’t know anyone who actually enjoys doing homework, but I think the shirt’s implied message is insulting to young girls. While J.C. Penney is a store and not a self-esteem manual, the company should at the very least have considered the negative slant behind the shirt’s slogan. A girl isn’t just a bobble-headed Barbie doll; she’s an intelligent person with thoughts, feelings, and convictions. [...]

    Reply
  2. Self-Confidence: Where There is a Will, There’s a Way | Aiming Low says:
    November 2, 2011 at 9:14 am

    [...] I used to think that was just a southern saying that people threw around like ” Y’all come back now.” No one really cares if you ever come back, they say it as a pleasantry. It’s so much more because “Where there’s a will, there’s a way” implies that there is no goal too lofty, no grief insurmountable, no circumstance too hard to overcome. The implication is hard-wired directly to your self-confidence. It puts into perspective that you can do absolutely anything that you set your mind to; you only have to be willing to put in the time and effort to achieve those goals. It’s true. Self-confidence can take you where fear told you that you were not welcome or worthy. It’s okay to be you! [...]

    Reply

Speak Your Mind

*


Display your Twitter name by adding it here. No @ required.