“I am so jealous of her.”
“Ughh, can I please be her?”
“She’s seriously perfect.”
“How is she so skinny?!”
“Look at her… and now look at me.”
If you are a girl, you have probably thought about or actually verbalized similar sentences in your life; I know I have. You see a girl who seems to have everything going for her, so naturally you want to be like her. This “ideal girl” might be a family member, a friend, a popular upperclassman or a celebrity. Regardless of her identity, she is not you. She might possess qualities that you want to embody yourself, but more often than not, you already have these qualities inside of you. They are just lying dormant because you do not recognize that they exist.
As you are envying her intelligence during class, you are demeaning your own academic skills. As you are praising her beauty, you are ignoring your own gorgeous appearance. As you are rating her outgoing nature as being superior to your own, you are losing the opportunity to grow in courage and strength. If we were meant to compare ourselves to others, everyone would lack confidence because we would always feel inferior to at least one person.
Our world is filled with countless amazing people, and we must realize that we are included in that group. Each person has a specific purpose in life because we are all UNIQUE. There is no such thing as a perfect person living on Earth. People might look like they are put together, but we all have insecurities. We should not wish to be another girl because we would miss out on self-discovery and personal growth. There is no universal symbol of beauty, so it is pointless to judge differences between your and another girl’s appearance and personality.
It is perfectly fine to speak words of appreciation for other girls’ beautiful qualities because we have a duty as women to support one another. Plus, a genuine sign of self-confidence is being able to acknowledge other girls’ strengths without diminishing your self-image. It is also necessary that we understand what we can offer the world. We should turn our thoughts and spoken words into “I am…” statements that showcase OUR amazing qualities, too. We must challenge ourselves to look past our weaknesses and take pride in our strengths because we can do so much good when we recognize our potential.
“I am capable of attaining success in every aspect of life.”
“I recognize my flaws, and I choose to focus on my strengths.”
“I am a beautiful person on the inside AND outside.”
“I am worthy of abundant happiness.”
“I deserve to be treated with respect from all people.”
The next time you look in the mirror, smile at the beautiful person you already are and the strong woman you are gradually becoming. Remember to love yourself wholeheartedly all the days of your life. Then, once you love yourself, go into the world and open your heart to others.