As a child, I had a really hard time accepting rejection. I had a hard time losing. In fact, I struggled with that for a lot of my life.

But what is different now? My confidence and acceptance for growth:  I have accepted that I am not perfect. I never will be. This is not a weakness. In fact, I believe it to be the complete opposite. Lego your ego. Humble yourself to realize that we never truly arrive.

Our journey never ends. We never really arrive to the end goal, or what we believe to be success. If we did, we would stop growing. We would stop improving. There’s always room for more.

There will always be hurdles. My goal is to keep growing to be the best version of ME! For me… and for you.

When we set goals, do we strive for the “realistic?” Or, do we pick something so astronomical, that seems humanly impossible, that we begin to get discouraged. Or, start believing that we can’t? Or maybe, someone told us we can’t.

In the past if I was critiqued, or told no (whether it was kind or malicious), I would be crushed. I would feel like I wasn’t good enough, or that I wasn’t worthy. Or maybe my ideas were not “realistic.” That maybe, I should think about a different industry. Maybe I should try a different sport.

I changed this through positive affirmation and prayer. But it is an on-going journey. Every day is a new lesson. A new test. (I mention this in many of my blog posts because it is so incredibly powerful.) Check out “Recipe For Success.”

“I am enough. I am allowed to win. It’s like me to be confident.” 

This blog was originally going to be for the women who have been told that you aren’t enough, or have been broken down so much that it still affects you everyday. But, I think everyone has gone through this somehow. (Whether in a relationship, at work, or in sports.)

Someone in our lives told us we can’t. “You won’t amount to anything.” “You dream too big.” “You’ll never be a professional.” “You will never win, you’re not strong enough.” “You’re not very smart.” “Why are you wasting your time?” I could go on.

If someone points out a flaw, even if it’s not constructive criticism, say thank you. Instead of getting mad or upset, use it to get better. Change how you react. Use it to improve yourself to keep becoming the best version of yourself. This isn’t to prove anything to them! It’s for you.

Maybe you still feel like you can’t? Perhaps you still hang on to those words? Maybe they still haunt you? Maybe a partner broke you down, and you’re still putting the pieces together? You’re allowed to be free from that. The Bible says that God promises us good out of the storms that bring devastation. (Romans 8:28)

It’s amazing what negative thoughts or a negative self-image can do to our daily lives. It can affect our relationships, marriages, our work. But we can change it, and we can help others change it.

A recent discussion with friends about how “everything happens for a reason,” is what prompted me to write this. We are tested every day. Another great verse: “Tribulation produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” (Romans 5:3-4) Other versions use the words patience and experience.

Since you’ve been through your experience— you can be there to help someone else through their tribulations. Now you can improve their life. Give them hope. Keep going to be the best version of you, for you and for them.

We can be as confident, knowledgeable, and kind as we want to be. But like I always say, there’s always room for improvement. We never truly arrive.