Just felt proud of my confidence journey today 😉
I don’t know what it was this year, but my freshman year of high school absolutely changed me AND my confidence. Sorry for the yap, btw.
Before I entered freshman year (I’m at a K-12 school), I had a lot of problems. I was shy, VERY awkward, and insecure, amongst other things. At the end of 8th grade, I found out that my best friend since the first day of middle school was talking crap about me (the way I look, the way I act, etc.). Not only did that completely destroy my confidence, but I also had to break off a friendship I had spent so long on.
So, freshman year rolls along, and suddenly, I’m making new friends who just make me feel…empowered. I’m starting to put myself out there a lot more, and quite frankly, I’m loving it.
I think the game changer for me, though, was getting my first boyfriend, but not in the way you think. I spent all this time trying to get a boyfriend, and when I finally got one, I was so bored. I was like “holy shit, I don’t need a man. And I certainly don’t need one who makes me feel like crap”. I broke up with him 4 months into the relationship. I was honest with him. And I think that’s when things started turning around.
I really learned to embrace who I am a lot after I broke up with that boyfriend. I’m funny, I’m smart, I’m sarcastic, I’m kind, I have an unhealthy obsession with Lady Gaga and American Horror Story, I pray too much and work too little, and I am a performer. I didn’t try to hide this. And honestly, I think that also made me more confident. I remember realizing one day after I had started being myself more that I was getting more compliments than I ever had. “I like your vibe” “you’re beautiful“ “I love the way you see the world”. The fact that I suppressed myself for so long because I thought people would compliment me on it, only to receive more when I was myself was just eye opening.
So, this year was amazing for me. I found my real friends. I learned to say no. I learned my flaws don’t define me. I learned to not doubt myself. I found myself, and I became a wiser, confident, and more beautiful person because of it.