EMBRACING MY IMPERFECTIONS

As someone who is fiercely independent and ambitious, I can be quite hard on myself sometimes. Over the past few years, however, my experiences have taught me to embrace my imperfections in order to ensure that I'm always moving forward and evolving towards being the very best version of myself. I've never really felt the need to idolise those in the public eye - not bloggers, celebrities or even my favorite artists.  I realised from an early age that "all that glitters is not gold". I mean who airs their dirty laundry on social media anyway?! You may have also realised by how often  talk with admiration and pride about my brothers and my parents. They are and always have been my greatest source of inspiration, but this doesn't mean I’ve never experienced the feeling of not being good enough plague and cloud my motivation to succeed. Quite the contrary. It took a few years to silence those negative voices and channel who I am, to ensure I am always on the right track for where I'd like to be.

STOP  NEGATIVE THINKING

Whether they are in your head, on your social media timeline or right in front of you, negative voices are all around us. I’ve encountered this kind of negativity in all walks of life and I’ve learned to see right through the insecurity within. I remember being so self-conscious about my body when I was younger. I thought my hips were too wide, thighs were too thick and lips were too big. All I saw were the skinny girls in magazines and I wasn't really comfortable in my own skin until my late teens. Now my body type is glorified by "media standards", even though it wasn't when I was younger. It is up to us to either ignore the negative voices or let it control the way we see ourselves. Just because something is trending doesn't mean that is the only way you should look or aspire to be.

SAY NO OFTEN

Funny enough, people pleasing hardly pleases everyone. Standing up for yourself will do a lot for your confidence, especially in your own abilities therefore, catapulting yourself forward into being the very best version of yourself. Knowing who you are, what you want and how to vocalise it, even if it doesn’t please those in question really can be liberating. 

FAILURE CAN BE A GOOD THING

Failure is such a negative word that it feels strange to suggest that it can be a good thing. Have you ever thought of mistakes you’ve made, and kicked yourself over them? I sure have! Fear of failing is failure in itself because it holds back so many would-be success stories. When I think of how far I've come and where I am today, I realise that without the obstacles I've had to overcome, I wouldn't have enjoyed my successful moments as much. Although it may be tough and hard to swallow, you will look back one day at how these negative situations turned out to have a positive impact on who you've become. 

TAKE COMPLIMENTS

We’re all guilty of brushing them off, playing them down or “counter-complimenting” as I often call it. For example:

“Your hair looks good today Désola!”

“Oh no it’s a mess, I want your hair!”.

It’s not always easy to be able to accept compliments but once you do, you will see just how much of an effect it has on your confidence. So the next time someone compliments you, why not take it the way it is intended and enjoy your day.

ASPIRE CAREFULLY

Lastly, it's important to be careful when choosing your inspirers by not just basing them on their follower count on social media or the latest trend. I often find it uncomfortable when people refer to me as their inspiration as I certainly don’t feel deserving of the title but it reminds me of how far I have come and drives me on even further in continuing to be the best version of my-unique-self.

How do you embrace your imperfections?