Finding Confidence

By Cami Checketts –

Are there times in your life when you simply don’t feel good about yourself?

You may think that you look awful or can’t do anything right. Maybe you’ve forgotten where your true confidence should come from.When I am taking good care of myself, eating right, exercising, dressing nicely, it’s easy to have a lot of self-confidence. But being six months pregnant is not a huge boost to the self-esteem arena. I’ve learned, at this time of my life and many others, that my confidence should not come from what I look like, but from my Father in Heaven and from the type of person I am.

Here are a few tips that will help all of us find confidence from within:

1. Turn to your source. Our Heavenly Father knows our talents and blessings. He can help us to find the things we are good at and find ways to improve those talents. He also loves us in spite of our shortcomings. When we feel down or low on self-esteem, let’s turn to the one who loves us more than we can imagine.

2. Surround yourself with positive, loving people. We shouldn’t need others to build us up, but it sure does help! Let’s try to associate with people who look for the best in us and in others. Positive feelings breed positive feelings.

3. Compliment and build others up. What we give away always comes back. Let’s help make friends, family, and even acquaintances feel good about themselves. Then that constructive energy will rub off on us!

4. Try something new. We might think that being a novice at something will make us feel inferior, but trying and accomplishing something different can give us positive vibes, even if we aren’t very good at it.

5. Write a list of all the things you’re grateful for, all the things you love about yourself, and all the talents you’ve been blessed with. After we’ve done that, let’s find a way to go and share some of those talents and blessings with others!

6. Forget about yourself. Serving others is the antidote to selfishness. If we’re so wrapped up in what we’re lacking, we can’t accomplish the things the Lord has in mind for us. Let’s find someone else who needs our help. It doesn’t have to be anything big–-a phone call, a smile, a plate of cookies, or a prayer. Serving others will make us feel good and remember the real reason we’re here.

7. Don’t forget that you are a child of God and He doesn’t make mistakes. We are here on the earth at this time for a specific purpose. Let’s search for the Lord’s direction in our lives. He will help us to remember that we are his child…and worth feeling good about!

Cami Checketts (www.camichecketts.com) is an author, exercise scientist, wife, and mother of three and three-quarters children. Her latest novel, The Sister Pact, is in stores now. © 2010