I've never been a very confident person. I'm still not. But, I really want to change that. 

Despite all the good things about the internet, it is also a dark hole that you can get sucked in to.

To me, social media is a necessary stepping stone to success as an artist, a writer, a thought-leader, and any profession that has sharing at its core.  It allows you to meet people you would have never met, find new ideas, and find those you can look up to. 

But, with that, there are also millions of people who are more beautiful, more successful, and who have more influence than you. I can't help but think sometimes, "wow why can't I look like that?" or "how does this person get 3000 likes on a photo of an apple??!? i want that lifeeee."

It's SO DUMB to think this stuff, but I can't help it.

And I'm sure every single person has thought similar thoughts as well.

These thoughts make me less productive, and take up precious space in my brain. So, I'm giving myself (and you) guidelines to try and override some of these judgements about ourselves and get a little closer to not caring what other people think.

You in?

to getting over stupid self-esteem issues that we're too good for

1. Fake it till you make it

One of the most regurgitated pieces of advice out there. In every podcast, interview, and conversation about confidence, this seems to be the numero uno key to doing you. The idea is that if other people believe in what you're presenting, you will start to believe in yourself more too. Soooo imma try it. 

2. Wear things that might scare you

That bright red patterned bow-on-cleavage jumpsuit that looks amazing on that model, but you're not sure if you can pull off? Buy it. Okay fine, buy it unless it is painfully obvious that your proportions don't match. But at least try it and if you really hate it, return it. At least for me, wearing something I was scared of wearing, and feeling good in it brings me to another level of happy. 

3. Take more photos of yourself

More more more more. I've had a full on hate relationship with taking photos the past two years because I honestly believed every photo taken of me was crap. LOL. Seriously. Despite having photos of me all over this journal and Instagram, I despise the process. I just don't think I'm very good at it. So, I'm finally putting my foot down and making this a rule. I want to be comfortable being me and feeling good in my own skin despite not liking the results. Also it's an excuse to share this: ***a selfie a day keeps the self-esteem at bay*** (LOL).  

Fun fact, I'm also only using photos I don't like in this entry to say a big F you to being afraid of sharing gross photos!! 

4. Never forget your friends

Sometimes, in the middle of one of those hour long scrolls through Instagram, with one beautiful exotic model after another appearing on your feed, the best thing to do is to throw your phone aside and hang out with your favorite people.  I've realized this helps me the most when feeling like I'm behind or not good enough. Spending time with people I love and look up to puts things back into perspective big time. So, fourth on the checklist is to remember to do this more. 

5. Improv class 

I'm being completely 100% serious. I'm not sure how it happened, but three out of four of my classes next semester are in the Theatre department. After forcing myself to take Public Speaking the past five months, I already see a huge difference in my confidence in general. I'm trying to keep the momentum going, and I think you should too!

Okay, I think that's all the rules I can take for now. I suck at to-do lists.  

Hopefully you connected with some of these struggles as well, and I encourage you to follow or make your own set of rules for yourself! No one is born without insecurities, and we tend to stay in the same place if we don't actively try to improve.

So let's take responsibility and doooo something about it!

From one millennial to another,