When I was younger, I was pretty stubborn. My comfort zone had solid walls built around it. No door, no way for others to enter. As the years went by, as my life experience expanded, I grew. I became more aware of my own capabilities..
For example, years ago I was terrified of speaking in public. I was too shy. Even standing in front of class in elementary school was an absolute nightmare to me. I would even skip school to avoid having to speak in front of my classmates.. but now? I love it. Yesterday I had to speak in front of a group of strangers, it was about 20-30 people from ages 16 to about 50. The pleasure of being able to educate, interact and inspire is something I thought I would never experience. The satisfaction afterwards, knowing you were able to answer their questions and maybe even make a difference, is unbelievably rewarding.
I am no longer focussing on what they’re thinking about me: “is my hair looking good? How do I hold my hands? Oh they’re talking, am I boring them?” No. That voice in my head is no longer making me feel consious and insecure. It now only sees the good. I notice how they’re all focussing on me as I’m sharing my experiences. I see their suprised faces when I share the news I have a 4-year old son, as well as my own business and going to college. I couldn’t dream of being able to do that, years ago. But now it’s reality.
Over the last few years, the appriciation I have for myself has dramatically grown. My self image and body image both went up. It gave me so much more confident and trust in my own capabilities. Knowing I can handle every situation. I wish that upon everyone.
If you always stick to what you know, how will you learn? If you stick to the familiar and the safe, how will you overcome your boundaries? How will you break down walls if you keep adding bricks to them? It’s all in your head! And that’s a good thing. If you created the walls, you are able to break them down!
