Building on a New Foundation

Each morning as I get ready for my day, I make an effort to put my best foot forward.  A nice outfit, makeup, hair and just before I leave I take one last look in the mirror to make sure everything is in place.  And in that moment, I feel confident.

But as time wears on, and I am challenged by the events of the day, I forget that before I left the house I was feeling confident.  Maybe someone swore at me because I accidently cut them off in traffic.  Or maybe I got a stern phone call from the school because I forgot yet again to turn in some paperwork for my child.

Maybe I had a fight with my kids, or I forgot to get to the grocery store and we are out of milk, or eggs, or bread.  Or I forgot to pay one of my bills.  Any number of things can happen that can make me feel less than confident.  And the negative thoughts start to creep into my head.  Suddenly I feel insecure. 

But not only do I feel insecure, but I believe I look it.  To my mind, everyone looking at me can see my thoughts, can see when I’m feeling insecure, or nervous, or anxious. But the truth is,  everyone else is still looking at the woman I saw in the mirror in the morning.  Nobody knows my thoughts or how I’m feeling unless I tell them.

So I came up with a plan.  I decided I needed a constant reminder throughout the day that I left the house ready  to tackle whatever came my way.  So I found a picture of myself that I particularly like.  One that says “confident, strong, beautiful”.

And I made it the wallpaper on my cell phone.

Now every time I take a call, or receive a text, I get a quick glimpse of the “me” I am portraying to the world.  And it reminds me that even though I might not be feeling confident, strong or beautiful, the potential is there because I see it in the picture.  

And it makes me smile.