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Recently I was asked how I got to be fearless. There's not a short answer to this, but also it is a short answer. Make sense? Perfect. I've always been someone who has liked "different" things, maybe even some would call these things "eccentric", and I just didn't really care what others thought. My parents raised me to not let what others think or say effect me. I say I didn't really care what others thought, and to a certain degree I never did, but I am human. There were many times when I came home crying because someone said something about my weight. My Mom, who is a shining example of what a strong women is, always made sure to remind me that what these people were saying, said more about them than it did about me. Then there's my Dad, to this day he always reminds me that you have the choice to let others intimidate you or affect you. Both of my parents are the kind of people that take zero shit from others. So the SHORT answer would be it's how I was raised. Fast forward to after graduation. I started my job at the label factory. I always knew that I was a confident person on the inside, but I never knew that this was a vibe I gave off to others, so that they could tell this about me also. Until the day a coworker of mine asked me "are you happy with yourself?". I just replied, "yeah". They said, "I know, I can tell. It's what attracts people to you as a person." That was over 11 years ago and I still think about it to this day. I remember thinking, "wow is this really how others see me?" How did I go from people putting me down about my weight, to this? Then I realized that the way I treat myself is the way others will see me. I have never been and I will never be someone who says, "ugh I look/feel fat" or "I wish I looked liked her". I can guarantee that there have been multiple people you have come across in your life that maybe you haven't even noticed, or don't remember, but they've wished they were more like you. Whether it be your looks, your personality, or anything else, someone has noticed and wanted to be more like that. Be proud of who you are. God made you, YOU for a reason. Why spend your time wishing you were someone else when you have no idea how amazing everyone else knows that you are?! I'll let you in on something that helps me with confidence and with just overall life, that is music. I was so miserable at my job that music was really the only thing that helped me through. EVERY SINGLE DAY for the last 2 years of me working there I listened to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fames induction of Nirvana. The Nirvana interviews (specifically Kurt Cobain saying "I want to do something different and I want to have enough guts to do that..."), Michael Stipe of REM's speech, and Dave Grohl's thank you speech just helped me believe in myself. Music really does get me through my darkest days and helps remind me who I am and where I want to go. As you can tell, I write just as I talk; All over the place. What it comes down to is doing whatever the hell you want, and doing it fabulously because you only get this one life.
