Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Self-confidence never goes out of style

We are always being told about how beauty is only skin deep and it is who we are inside that really counts. But how true is that? It's confusing while in the midst of convincing myself to be contended with my body size and then seeing a slim, pretty local actress on the side of a bus modeling for a certain slimming company smiling brightly and words that say, "Love yourself". What exactly is the advertisement trying to imply? That I can only love myself if I'm stick-thin and be able to fit into two pieces of cloth that covers only my bottom and below private areas? Or maybe I can only love myself if I sign up for one of their beauty or slimming treatments? Despite the numerous debates we can have regarding the "evils" of advertising, most advertisers are not going to stop bringing us down and then attempt to change our lives for the better – but not before we puchase their miraculous product that has never been used before by anyone in the universe.

There are so many factors that can make us forget who we truly are inside, either consciously or unconsciously. These factors can come in the form of peer influences, media influences, busy schedules etc. However, self-confidence is extremely hard to break down only if it is based on a very solid foundation.

Sometimes, we are so conscious of what people think of us that we keep on changing ourselves in order to fit into the kind of person the world wants us to be. But the world is made up of billions of people with varying preferences and perspectives. There will be a serious case of wear and tear if we choose to revolve our lives with the sole intention to please others. There are also times when we try so hard to fit in that we pressure ourselves into doing things that could be detrimental to our own health so that we can get at the very least one compliment about the way we look. We can think of all sorts of things to say or do in order to get noticed. When unsuccessful, dissappointment starts to kick in and we once again crawl back into our little, lonely world of ugliness. It is amazing how critical we are of ourselves, sometimes.

But seriously, we do not need any magical potion or anyone's attention to be self-confident or to feel beautiful. All we will ever need is faith in ourselves. That faith can actually work wonders - only if we search deep within ourselves. Feelings of contentment can give rise to a strong sense of self-confidence.

I used to constantly forget about the boundless gifts that God has granted me because I was busy complicating my life by focusing on another person's fortune. Astonishingly, I will always come across someone who is much worse off than me in one way or another and that will automatically make me realise just how fortunate and complete my life is. It may not be perfect but it is mine.

No one is going to start appreciating me if I myself am not able to like what I see in the mirror. I personally believe that we are presented with choices in any given situations. For example, when I see my reflection, there are two conclusions that can be derived. First, I can choose to see the reflection of a fat, ugly person who is prone to cellulite. Secondly, I can choose to see a woman, who is fully endowed and has no physical disabilities. I will be walking down the road to self-contentment by choosing the latter.

I am not being weak by choosing to accept myself. In fact, I am strengthening my mentality by choosing to be accepting of whom I really am inside and out. As human beings, it is natural to always want more than what we already have. I am not discouraging anyone from having dreams. Go ahead and dream big. But dream realistically. Ask yourself. Do I really need this or is it because she is having it that I wish I had it too? In the course of trying to be appreciated, we forget to treasure the one miraculous "product" that was already and always will be there - ourselves.

Therefore, let's start making life simpler by being less critical of ourselves and more lenient towards the gifts that God has presented us with, even though how imperfect it may seem. At least then, I have to keep in mind of only one person's preference – myself.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

*thumbs up*

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