A Confidence Builder
A Confidence Builder
Feeling Beautiful by Beleiving in Yourself
Yesterday was one of the biggest accomplishments of my year - perhaps even my life, in terms of the way I overcame fear and as a result, built confidence in my Self. I executed, almost seamlessly, a fundraising "fashion show" event at a local venue in Santa Barbara to raise money for the Environmental Defense Center. It was a collaborative effort whereby hair salon teams found models to dress up in an earth-themed look (hair, makeup & wardrobe) to walk the runway as entertainment for guests attending the event and donating to the cause. In addition to the fashion show, there was trivia, wellness with aroma and dancing, and live music. I really believed in the show, the organization I was raising money for, and believed that I could do something I had never done before. Nonetheless, it put me to the test.
With little event planning experience, I knew I had to put a sound plan together. I implemented that plan in a timely manner which allowed me to resolve issues before they became critical. And because life is not always smooth, about a week prior to the show, as often happens, problems arose and it seemed to throw all of my planning and hard work out of the window. I endured a lot of doubt, negativity and fear throughout the process, but especially as the date became closer. These feelings are natural but it got to the point where I had a day where I decided in my mind that I was going to cancel it because I just didn't believe it would turn out to be what I had envisioned. If it wasn't for my good friend Bob, who stated, "I don't care if only one person shows up, you're doing this," I would have let my doubts and uncertainties and fear take over. I had to dig deep within myself and trust my original belief in the project, and more importantly, belief in myself! I knew the event would be successful if I pressed on. I believed that I had a good plan and the plan would still work even with setback, frustration and disappointment.
I powered through and made it happen and it was a SUCCESS! It was commitment and perseverance that took me to the finish line and I am left with joy, confidence, and pride. If the show had failed, so what! It would have not been as big a deal as if I had failed myself through lack of belief and trust in me or my plan and cancelled the show. The show was a much bigger success than anyone imagined and that certainly adds to my sense of pride.
It is not every day that I feel like I do now, basking in the sun at my pool while basking in these great emotions, and now I look forward to the next challenge that will allow me to grow and build upon my confidence and character. I also now feel more equipped to overcome natural fears that may arise in the future.
Through this process, I realized that I am not always confident in who I am, what I do and how I do them and for those of you who can relate, it's OKAY! Acknowledge it and move on! What do YOU want to feel more confident about? Put yourself outside of the comfort zone and take a chance! Whether you succeed or fail, know that you learned when things go well or not. It is in trying and enduring the process that allows our confidence to grow. With a commitment to succeed in whatever success means to YOU and trusting in yourself and your beliefs, the likelihood of success is much greater than the likelihood of failure.
I now have more belief in myself and that FEELS beautiful!
Further Reading
Finding My Way