A Girls Survival Guide

Do you have confidence? Don't worry, none of us do in the beginning.

1:

What is confidence? Is it the ability the walk around without feeling like you have to place a paper bag over your head? I felt like this repeatedly, and each time it got worse and worse. It got to the point I started avoiding talking to my friends to make sure they didn't see my horrible complexion. Yes, I'm talking about acne. I didn't want to look at myself in mirrors because it got extremely bad as I went into my middle school years. I tried product after product, and none seemed to be working. I would literally burst into tears and wish that I had skin like Selena Gomez or Angelina Jolie. Finally, as I approached my last year in middle school, I found a power in myself. Girl power! I started to realize how great a person I really am, even with acne. It's not the greatest pleasure to have, but I've been working with it. Being me makes me unique because no one can copy who I am, just like no one can copy who you are! Right now, an amazing, beautiful, and unique person is reading these very words. If you don't agree with these words, then I want you to pull out a piece of paper and a pen right now.

I mean it!

2:

Okay, I'm assuming you have those two things handy, because now I want you to draw two columns. One column will be a list of everything you like about yourself. The other will be everything you don't like. For each thing that you list, write down the reason for it. This step isn't necessary, but it's helpful. It doesn't have to be just about your appearance; it can even be about your personality. I don't want you to hold back on anything; this will only be for your eyes, so right after this you can throw it away or burn it. You can do this. c:

Here; I'll even show you a part of my list!

I Love My...

- Hair, because it's a beautiful shade of brown highlighted with natural red.

- Lips, because they're the perfect size for my face.

- Eyes, because the shade isn't a dark brown or a light brown but shine with a great color.

- Collarbone; I don't honestly know why. I just have always loved the shape.

I Don't Like My...

- Knees, because they have scars on them that make them look ugly.

- Back, because there's stretch marks on it.

- Nose, because it's got blackheads all over it.

- Stomach, because it's not fit like those Victoria's Secret models' stomachs.

3:

Look at that list. Was everything what you truly feel, without being told by anyone, that you should hate that about yourself? From my list, everything is what I don't like based off what I think without the influence of anyone. But wait. Wouldn't it be influenced by society? Because society has given a description of what makes a person beautiful and what makes them ugly. Let me change that perspective. Try to keep up with me. I tend to confuse people. Sometimes what makes a person beautiful isn't the way they look, or how much makeup they apply, or if they have the body of a model. It is how the person is that makes them beautiful. Tell me it's cliché, but it's true!

Now, with everything on that "I Don't Like My..." column of yours, write down how you think you can change that. Or, you can write what you wish would change about it. It can be a quick three words, if you please.

Example:

- Stomach, because it's not fit like those Victoria's Secret models' stomachs.

You just made an exercise calendar! Use it, even if it's just half of those exercises.

This is the part where everything you just wrote down is your choice. It's your choice, whether you change it or not. I'm not telling you that you aren't beautiful, because you are even if I don't know what you look like! I just know you're beautiful. Your life is yours; don't settle for less than you deserve. And don't think that you don't deserve to be happy and confident in yourself, because you do. After you decide if you're going to change those, I want you to stick with it. Don't fall out when you're a quarter of the way there; don't give up when you're halfway there. When you reach the end, you'll be happy with yourself, and you'll know everything you went through was worth it.

4:

Next step! Drop all the negativity about yourself. (Is negativity even mentally legal?) Absolutely no more comments to yourself about how ugly you think you are. Because you're not! You're special, and you're beautiful just in your own way. (Every flaw is a unique fingerprint that creates you.) I mean it; no more negativity. Catch yourself before you start to think negatively, and think back to the things you love about yourself and talk about those instead.

A trick I've learned about the road to confidence is to look in a mirror. Place your hand over your heart and stare yourself directly in the eyes. (This has made me uncomfortable before, but now I find myself doing it often) Now say, "I love you. You're beautiful." You can say more, and as much as you want, but make sure to tell yourself you love you. That sounded funny. You love you. This will help you love yourself. It's a great trick, and I've found it useful. Note: You should say the words out loud, quietly or loudly.

Now, I feel like this should settle for a bit before I start to write more, so I'll leave you with this and a quote.

"You have this life. How do you wanna spend it? Apologizing? Regretting? Questioning? Hating yourself? Dieting? Running after people who don't see you? Be brave. Believe in yourself. Do what feels good. Take risks. You have this life. Make yourself happy."

Comment any questions below or what your opinion on this was. If you want to message me, I'm always up for meeting new people. ^_^ @MysticalFighter

Dedicated to @AvengedOnTheBridge for editing this chapter.

PS: we are in need of an EDITOR so if anyone is willing to edit our book, then that would be great!