When I started thinking of what to write for this week, I was stressed out, tired, and having a pretty bad day. I immediately shot down every day that came to me, thinking it wasn't good enough or funny enough or just enough. After scrapping every idea, it suddenly dawned on me that being enough was exactly what I should be writing about.
We all have days where nothing is going our way and we feel like nothing we do will ever be enough. As girls, we are incredibly hard on ourselves: we look in the mirror and pick out 10 flaws each time. We see someone who we perceive as doing better than us and are jealous, perhaps even trying to cut that person down so that you can feel better about yourself. The funny thing about it is, we feel alone like no one else could possibly be feeling the same way. This could not be further from the truth.
Every girl at some point has felt unhappy with how she looks or what she is doing. Sadly, this is natural. However, for every time that we have these thoughts, here are some reminders that we should be telling ourselves.
1. You are not perfect.
To quote Hannah Montana, "Nobody's perfect." Absolutely, nobody. There is a huge difference between trying your best, and trying to be perfect. If you are constantly striving for perfection, you will never be happy with yourself, always feeling like you could have done better. Instead of searching for something unattainable, remember that whatever is your best is as close to perfect as you will ever get. Your best is absolutely good enough, and you've gotta work it.
2. You are not alone.
When you feel like the world is stacked up against you and there is nobody who could possibly understand what you feel like, I can guarantee you that there is. Talking about your problems makes them so much better and there is always someone willing to lend an ear. If you're stressed out about that huge test that is worth half of your grade, look around your classroom, even if some people are hiding it, they are stressed too. If you are looking in the mirror and finding flaws, you are certainly not the first to have done that. We may feel alone in our problems but if we really look around there is someone around to help us.
3. You are beautiful.
Stop looking in that fun house mirror. Stop comparing yourself to the models and celebrities in magazines. Stop searching for perfection. Every single girl is beautiful. Instead of focusing on the negatives, look for the positives. If you're going to look in the mirror (and we all know that we do), find five things you like about yourself, not what you don't.
4. It's going to be okay.
I always hated when my parent's would tell me, "nothing is as bad as it seems" because sometimes things are bad. However, for most things in life this does stand true. That test you failed, there's a way to save your grade. That fight you had with your significant other, parent or best friend will be resolved. Every single thing that is piling up on you will find a way to work out. Take a deep breath and start at the beginning. Most things really are not as bad as they seem. You are strong and you can get through it.
5. Smile.
Even when you want to be mad at the world, find a reason to smile. That one smile could change someone's entire day, especially yours. Fall in love with your own smile. For every bad thing that is happening, search for something good, no matter how small. You are imperfect, beautiful, and you deserve to smile.
6. You are enough.
Throw out every saying ending in "enough" -- not pretty enough, not smart enough, not good enough, not skinny enough, not funny enough, not anything enough. Whoever you are, is more than enough. Never let anyone, yourself included, tell you differently.
