Have you ever thought about what you tell yourself when you look in the mirror?
Every girl looks in the mirror multiple times throughout the day. I can't imagine many girls look in the mirror and tell themselves they are beautiful or they love what they see. Being the oldest on both sides of my family it scares me knowing my little cousins are going to grow up in a world that is constantly telling them they are not enough.
Screw it.
I won't lie, I've looked in the mirror and told myself the things I hate about myself. It is human, we are genetically formulated due to the impact of society to find the flaws in ourselves.
It wasn't until the end of my junior year of high school I realized how big of an impact self-love and self-confidence can truly have on yourself.
A teacher once told me, "You are SBBS, strong, brave, beautiful, smart".
Notice how it never says you are 'strong enough' or 'brave enough' because this is where it all changed for me.
This is especially for Izzy, Stella, Ava A, Sophia, Ava and Lyla, you are and always will be enough.
You are strong. You will endure hardships in life that will change you for the better. You will want to give up, don't. You have the power to determine what will break you, it is okay to break but don't stay broken. You have the drive to empower others, go show the world how strong you are.
You are brave. You can do it, I believe in you. It's okay to be scared and unsure of what is going to happen next. Being brave doesn't mean having confidence, it means being so scared you're stomach gets a knot but you follow through. Hold your head high and tell yourself you are brave when you are most scared.
You are beautiful. Each and every one of you are beautiful in your own ways. It could be the way you sing to Taylor Swift, the way you smile on Christmas morning or the way you fall asleep during movie night. You will always be beautiful and do not ever let anyone tell you differently.
You are smart. You are not smart for a girl. You are smart. Smart does not mean getting good grades. Smart means being kind to people, helping a friend when they need it and knowing how to handle certain situations with compassion. Smart does not just come from a classroom it comes from how you carry yourself.
I know it is hard. I've lived it, I'm right with you. I want you to know I love you all more than I could ever put into words and you need to remember those four things. After all, you are SBBS.
