Episode 30: Can we truly be happy without confidence?

To me, it's impossible.

*Before I start this episode, I wanted to tell you there is audio at the very end of this paid episode so that you can listen to my essay like an author read out loud. See what you think, tell me how you like it, if you like listening to it (or not!). Thanks!

Sixth grade was an all-time low for my self-esteem. We all know middle school sucks (especially for girls), and I was at an age where I started to notice (and care) that I was different. I wanted to be white with blue eyes, skinny, and popular. I wanted boobs and a flat stomach. I withheld from eating lunch thinking that would make me thinner, and I did everything to be as “American” as I could by denying my heritage (and being embarrassed by it). The truth is, I was shy. I had a hard time talking to strangers, adults, and the opposite sex. And, I didn’t like doing the same things the other girls liked. I was artsy and introverted in a sea of extroverted cheerleaders.

A couple years ago, I wrote a book about confidence geared for kids. In writing it (and later reading it out loud to my own kids), it got me thinking about confidence and why I am so fundamentally passionate about it as a women of color, as a parent, and as a kid who grew up so shy and introverted.

It’s because I believe that confidence gives us the ability to be our best selves and be truly happy. And, it wasn’t until I started gaining confidence that my life changed.

Confidence doesn’t come easy to most of us. And, when we find it, we’re not always going to feel confident in everything we do. We may feel confident in one thing, but not in the other. We may feel confident one day, but not another.

Here’s where confidence really comes from…