Building Life Confidence

I'm reading this book by Susie Castillo (she was Miss USA before and an MTV VJ) and it is all about bringing that interior beauty out for all to see. It gives four steps based on how to be beautiful on the inside and out through being grounded, relationships (family and friends), body image and putting it all into practice.

I mention this because I got a similar book before and it was written by a man and I just couldn't get into it because he failed to write about his before fame humbling experiences as Castillo did.

He spoke about every experience he encountered since famous and in my opinion that doesn't count because you are already there and in your "zone". That might do it for some people, but for me I need to know where you came from, what you started with, and how did you make it to where you are.

Funny how I got both books from Dollar Tree, but only one made it into my daily reading and allowed me to start implementing some practices into my day. There isn't one thing that I don't like about this book all down to her vocabulary. In my opinion, it is a good read for young women (I put myself in the category seeing as though I am only 26). Also because from teens to 30, we as women tend to have bad friend choices, we pick the wrong men to date, we dress all wrong to fit into a category, we don't know how to do make-up (It has only been 2 months since I started wearing and I got the face down pact but I suck as eye shadow application), we style our hair all wrong, we don't exercise or we keep it minimal, we eat greasy food that is no good for us, and the list goes on and on and on.

For me I dissected everything one by one and I don't have bad friend choices because I keep it to a minimal. Did I when I was younger: of course. Wrong men to date? Yes but I felt I got it right this time (6 years dating) and we are now married almost 2 years. dressing all wrong? Of course. to hide my fatness I used to dress like a tomboy growing up, until I was 15 and then I embraced a more fitted clothes aspect except that I was a sneaker freak. LOL. I already explained my makeup. Styling the hair wrong? I can't say yes because I have never looked at an older pic of me (minus CHILD pics) where I wasn't content with the way my hair looked. Exercising was always minimal for me until I turned 18 and it became important and along the way I learned HOW to really do it. I haven't drank soda in years. I keep the junk to a minimal, and if I can tell it is greasy I won't eat it anyway.

I also bring this up because something happened in my family yesterday that has never occurred in the 26 years that I have been alive and ever beyond that: A cousin of mine was jumped after school. Let me describe my cousin: Sexy body for her age well developed, pretty face, and she dresses very well. Would that make other girls jealous? Of course if you have no confidence in yourself. What are we teaching our children now-a-days? That starts in the home. I believe that we have to start teaching our young girls how to boost their own confidence (you the mother need to be confident in order to teach your child confidence. You are the first teacher of female character). tearing another human being down doesn't not boost you up. It makes you even more ugly. MY mom taught me that and it doesn't matter if I can visibly say "she is ugly" I will quicker point out something exceptional about her.

Some mothers mistakenly think that they teach their kids self confidence but they are doing it in the negative. For example: "I don't know why you wasting your time arguing with her. You don't need friends anyway." Wrong. It should go more like this, "You should talk to her later, when you are more calm and had some time to think. If she is really your friend you shouldn't talk to her like that. You wouldn't want anyone talking to you like that."

I don't have a daughter nor do I have female siblings and I don't have a lot of female friends, but I was raised by an exceptional woman who taught me good policies in life that helped me build my confidence to its peak. If you have daughter(s), take a moment today and see if you speak in ways you want them to speak. See if you exude characteristics that you want them to inherit. See if you are the kind of woman you want them to become. See if your child has the potential of being a low self esteem victim. Take the time to build her up to a beautiful young woman internally and externally.