I was such a miserable child growing up. I truthfully think a great part of that was due to the fact that I never had anyone patting my back and saying, "Way to go girl! I'm proud of you!" In fact very few people noticed me. I'm not saying that in a bitter way, because I've learned a lot about how I want my children to feel with my relationship with them. I work hard at giving them their kudos. But as a result of how I grew up, I had very little self esteem and confidence in myself.
In high school I stumbled across a book called, The Inside Outside Beauty Book. It was co-written by Miss America Sharlene Wells. I don't even know why I bought it. I guess as a lonely and awkward teenager I was looking for help. This silly little book taught me to not compare myself to others. How hard is that for teenagers! But after I learned that lesson my life improved entirely. I still was the homely child who had one pair of pants to wear to school. But I was no longer that miserable creature who had a bad hair cut because I didn't look to others for my self worth. Instead, I was a happy person with a bad hair cut. There's a big difference!
Even today I am glad that I don't compare myself to others. I look to my friend who has all "my" talents as a source of inspiration. I've already learned so much from her and I hope to learn more.
I'm just trying to live my best life. And there's a lot of room for improvement, and a lot of celebrating to have!
Now, I'm going to order that silly little book for Madison.
Labels: Lost In Thought
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