10 Ways to Boost Your Confidence

Media contradicts itself so often. It sets unwritten laws and unspoken standards for teen girls to achieve by idolizing singers, movie stars, and models. A majority of these celebrities go to unreasonable lengths to reach their goal weight, and they spend extreme amounts of money on clothes and makeup. But then they say things like this:

"Be yourself",  she says, but she is the one are causing drama in Holywood for more attention.

"You don't need a man to make you happy", she encourages when is the working on her third broken marriage or starting her fifth new relationship.

"Be comfortable in your skin", she promotes as she is crash dieting or  getting all of her magazine cover photos Photo Shopped so they look "perfect".

"It's okay if you're not popular", she posts to her fan page with 1.2 million  followers.

Of course no "ordinary" teen girl can be just as "perfect" and "flawless" as these celebrities.  But why would you want to be when you can be you?! Have you ever thought about the fact that God made only one of you and He designed you for a special purpose that NO ONE in the entire world can do. How cool is that!

Don't think things like this.

"I don't look like her."

So what? You get to look like you. You can do your hair the way you want to. You can wear your makeup the way you want to or you can choose to wear no makeup at all. You can wear your favourite pair of Converse with that dress if you want to. It's your style. Take care of yourself. Your body is Christ's temple. And guess what. You get to dress yourself in a way that pleases God, not all those girls with the designer clothes and high-end makeup. And since God made you to be you, you get to chose what your style looks like! No other girl can tell you that you need to wear makeup, or that you have to wear 40 inch stillettos to prom. As long as what you wear pleases God, you should feel comfortable and confident when you wear it! It's like a never ending cycle of awesomeness!

"She is better at that than I am."

She may have an amazing singing voice, but can she juggle a soccer ball for five minutes straight like you can? Probably not. She may be an excellent artist, but she probably can't write that amazing poem that you wrote but are too shy to show to anyone. Just because you don't have the same talents as someone else doesn't mean that your talents are any less amazing. Work at developing your talents and find some way to use them to honour God.

"All the boys are always hanging out with her and she already has a boyfriend!"

Well, this is just my opinion, but honestly, I don't think you need a boyfriend in high school. I didn't have one and I still made it out alive and happy and I'm not an antisocial recluse (okay that last may not be true, but work with me here!). What I'm trying to say is that you don't need a boyfriend to help your self esteem. Jesus is so much better.

Instead of having these thoughts running through your head all the time, try replacing them with these thoughts instead. This is my list of 10 ways to boost your confidence:

1. Don't compare yourself to anyone else: You aren't supposed to be like them or look like them and that is just fine. You are supposed to be you! Embrace it. You are beautiful no matter what.
2. Smile and laugh often: Not only will laughing and smiling lift your mood they make everyone else around you happy, too (unless, of course, they are absolutely miserable, then there is probably no hope for them. Just kidding!). Every girl looks radiant when she is smiling! (Proverbs 17:22)
3. Try to be a better person today then you were yesterday: Instead of trying to be better then someone else or being just like someone else, try being better then yourself! Challenge yourself to be better. You can do it!
4. Encourage someone else: Why not? If you see someone having a rough day or having a hard time, encourage them. Making other people happy makes me happy, too.
5. Go without makeup (or use minimal makeup) for a day: Be comfortable in your skin. It's okay if your skin isn't flawless because, honestly, most people don't have perfect skin. Wash your face and just embrace a clean, bare, refreshed face.
6. Listen to happy music: Listen to upbeat, encouraging music and sing at the top of your lungs. I don't care if you're completely tone-deaf. Sing loud!
7. Work at developing your talents: You have special talents that can only get better at them the more you practice.
8. Wear comfortable clothes: Wear an outfit that you feel comfortable because you like it, not to impress anyone else. Also, wear something that actually feels comfortable. If you can't move in your jeans because they are too tight, don't wear them just because that is the style. If you can't sit comfortably in your clothes then you will probably be miserable.
9. Eat something healthy: If you normally don't eat extremely healthy food eating fresh veggies or a bunch of fresh fruit will make you feel more alert and awake.
10: Don't put others down: Putting other people down won't make you look stronger. Be strong and be kind.