As a young girl I struggled with low confidence. I looked to external things to try and gain confidence such as trying to be thin, or wearing attention seeking outfits, and so on.  But none of those things ever brought me confidence…just the opposite…the attempts to be thin led to having unhealthy eating habits that damaged my health, the immodest clothing attracted the wrong type of boys and that led me to entering an abusive relationship…I didn’t gain confidence…I lost it….

As time went on I began to learn that real confidence was never going to come from how I looked, or immodest outfits, or other people’s approval.  I learned that real confidence can only come from within…that real confidence comes from living my life in such a way that God would be proud of the way I was living.

As I became a Mother myself I was determined to make sure that my children understood what would bring them real confidence and I was open with them about the struggles I’d faced and the lessons I learned in my life.

My daughter Ashley was able to grasp as a very young girl what had taken me a good 27 years of life to learn.  You will see that in an article Ashley has written for her new company Core Qualitees in which she writes about Real Confidence vs Temporary Satisfaction (click link to read Ashley’s full post).

I so love what she said about what real confidence is:

“Real confidence is knowledge and intelligence. It’s truth. It’s kindness and service. It’s respect for ourselves and those around us. It’s understanding that our bodies are tools and not ornaments. It’s love and charity. It’s knowing that our worth is eternal and unchanging. It’s acceptance of who we are and hope of who we can become. It’s peace and humility. It’s a tangible light in our countenance that you can visibly see.”

People with real confidence serve as an inspiration for all of us. They remind us to look inward in order to shine beautifully outward.

~Amy Rees Anderson (author of the book “What Awesome Looks Like: How To Excel in Business & Life” )