The beginning of a new year is quickly approaching. Many people are planning their New Year’s resolutions. We all know the popular choices: lose weight, get a boyfriend, make more money, go to the gym more, eat healthier, etc. While all of these can be wonderful and beneficial, they all have one thing in common. These resolutions stem from a place inside of you that is not happy with how you are, right now. That little voice inside your head is constantly whispering, “You aren’t good enough.” The world is always pointing us to solutions to our problems. It tells us that if we just look better, make more money, or change ourselves to fit in then we will be happy. If you are one of these people, I have one thing to say to you: you are perfect just the way you are! 

Insecurity can grip its nasty claws around the best of us. We are surrounded by things, especially in the media, that tell us we are not good enough. I know I am not alone in saying that the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was enough to make me want to fall over and die. As women, we constantly compare ourselves to models, celebrities, girls we see on social media, and even our friends. There will always be someone skinnier, prettier, wealthier, more successful, more popular, and having an all-around better life than us, if we look long enough. Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” and he could not be more right!  

Insecurity is everywhere. I am no stranger to its cruel tricks. However, I do know one thing: insecurity is the ugliest trait a girl can have. It causes us to be jealous monsters and consumed with others instead of ourselves. We only see what is "wrong” with us instead of all of our blessings. It turns us into shells of ourselves. While we envy others and long to be like them, we lack the confidence to be ourselves.

What in the world are we thinking? We are not those girls, and we never will be. You, my friend, are the one and only you there has ever been, or ever will be. Own it! Love it! Use that to your advantage! 

Confidence is the complete opposite of insecurity. A confident girl shines in a crowd. She lights up a room and grabs the attention of others without even trying. Isn’t that the kind of girl we all want to be? You already have what it takes. You are unique, beautiful, and amazing. You have been blessed with talents and characteristics that are one of a kind. Use these talents to make the world a better place. The world would be a much less interesting, fun, and exciting place if we were all the same. 

This New Year’s Eve, let’s all make a different kind of resolution. I say we decide to stop comparing ourselves to others. Stop wishing and hoping for things we don’t have, and start enjoying what you have been so uniquely blessed with! When negative thoughts start entering your head, replace them with positive ones. Look at yourself and say what is good, not what you wish you could change. Most importantly, remember these words: "You are fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:14).