"I am a strong, confident woman and I don't need a man to complete me". This has been my mantra many times in the past. It's kind of a way for me to feel better about my hopeless relationship status, however, now that I am no longer hopeless and a little more hopeful I believe I can change this mantra into "I am a strong confident woman". Yup, that pretty much sums it up. I have a man and he doesn't complete me, however he does empower me and lift me up to realize my full potential.

My strength and my confidence was something I have always possessed but with nurturing, it continues to grow. Sometimes it is hidden away in a dark room locked with a billion padlocks, but its always been there. Up until this last year I didn't realize how important these characteristics are to my everyday life. I have my mother to thank for these traits. Every night before bed she would have me repeat the saying "I am beautiful, I am smart, I can do anything, and my family loves me". (How could you not gain a butt-load of confidence after saying that every night?) I can tell you this right now, when I have my own kids, you better believe I am going to have them repeat this every night.

"Confidence is key", always has been and always will be. I would not be where I am today if I possessed any less confidence than I have now. The things I have done in my life and my accomplishments are credited to my belief that I can do anything I want to if I work hard and set my mind to it. Without confidence, I would be a shell of a person.

Now some of you may be asking yourself, "But Delaney, how do I become confident?" And yes, my baby birds, I do have an answer for you. It is very simple. In order to become a strong confident woman, you need to let go and have faith in yourself. Take a look in the mirror and realize that you are exactly who you were meant to be in this point in time, and if you don't like who you are, change it. When you are comfortable with who you are, inside and out, you are already one step ahead of the curve.

Stop overthinking, and start doing. Be who you want to be, do the things you want to do. Do not use statements like "I wish" or "I can't" and start saying "I will" and "I can". Once you bring more positivity into your life, the more confident you will become. The more confident you become, the stronger you will be. It is a never ending cycle, but it's a healthy cycle. Educate yourself. Learn more about yourself and the world around you. The more you know the happier you will be.