Happy Blogmas Day 3
It is podcast day! If blogmas has brought you here, hello, welcome! I have a podcast called Off the Paigee. It’s available wherever you listen. So, if you’re enjoying the blogmas content, be sure to go and subscribe right now!
The reason I started podcasting was that I wanted to expand on some of my blog posts in a more real way. Typically I post on my blog Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. A new podcast episode goes LIVE every Thursday to accompany the blog post. So, blogmas will be no different!
I’m taking a step back from my holiday content today to bring you some regularly scheduled content.
One week ago, I started thinking a lot about confidence. The topics that make themselves more pronounced in my head are usually the ones I pull for podcast episodes. That’s what I did today!
I’d like to preface this post by saying I’m not a very confident person. I struggle on an appearance level as well as on a personal level. I’ve never felt comfortable in my skin. However, I’ve noticed growth within myself that I’d like to share with all of you.
Before we get to that, I’d like to breakdown my opinion of confidence. Confidence is not one size fits all. Every person finds their confidence in different places. Confidence has always presented itself as something you have or something you don’t have. That isn’t true. Are there naturally confident people? Of course. Does that mean you can’t work to be confident? Of course not. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that you can grow confidence. It’s like this little flower that needs to be nurtured with lots of sunshine and water.
As I started to reflect on my confidence journey, I realized people in my life were taking my little flowers sunshine. For some reason, people believe that confidence and insecurities can’t go together. I’m here to end that myth! Just because you are starting to develop confidence does not mean that you no longer have insecurities. We all have insecurities. You should never feel ashamed of your insecurities! If you’re feeling yourself one day and want to post a picture of yourself, you shouldn’t be made to feel bad about that. I’m speaking from personal experience. I’ve become much more present on social media platforms, like Instagram. I’ve never felt comfortable taking pictures. My family, as well as my friends, know this about me. It hurts me when some of those people insinuate that I’m lying about my insecurities because I’ve posted a picture that I worked very hard on. Why should my moment of confidence be taken away? It shouldn’t. I should be allowed to feel confident and have my insecurities. It’s not one or the other.
My insecurities not only remind me I’m human but also push me to find my confidence. Weirdly, it’s the initiative I need.
My confidence journey isn’t solely based on my appearance or photos. Creating this blog, developing my podcast, and presenting myself on social media have also encouraged my confidence journey. I’ve pushed myself so far past my comfort zone; I can’t see it anymore. Allowing myself to share a more vulnerable side on a variety of mediums has done wonders for my confidence.
You’re in charge of your confidence journey. It’s a process, but it’s worth it. Confidence can be developed. Don’t let anyone steal your flowers sunshine!