Being Confident // In Who You Are

Hey, guys! 

I thought I'd do something a little bit different today. A little bit more personal. I don't just want to be a beauty blog, or just a fashion blog, I just want to be Leanne's blog. A little place where I can share my musing about beauty, fashion and all things life-y!

"It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else's eyes." ~Sally Field

Something that has always been something I've struggled with, more so now than before, it being confident in who I am. 

Imagine there's this dress. You've seen it in the shops and you love it. You've seen it on this one friend and you love it. So you go out, adamant that you will look just as amazing. You run home from the shop with glee, so excited to finally put the dress on. You open the zipper on the dress, slide it on and look in the mirror and it just doesn't look right. 

You pull at the hem, and breathe in hoping that will change the way it looks. You pull it up, you pull it out. You fiddle and fidget. Pulling and prodding at the dress. You don't feel right in it, but it suits your friend so maybe it's just you being silly. 

You're invited to a party, and you want to wear this dress. Show it off. It just doesn't feel right and you beat yourself up because that one friend that's got it, can pull it off effortlessly.

I have felt the exact same way about who I am. Trying to be just like your friend or someone you know or just anyone but you. I know I'm not the only one. So many people struggle with who they are to others, and who they really are. I spent a massive portion of my life trying to squeeze myself into a personality that just doesn't fit. I tried to be cool and normal and 'in'... turns out, I'm actually pretty nerdy and weird but hey ho! 

It took me 20 years to find a dress that fit me. It still needs some tweaks but on the whole, I feel pretty damn comfortable in it now. It feels like me. 

It's not always easy to accept things about yourself, especially if others don't accept them. Hell, I don't always feel confident but I'm working on it. But you know what, the people that don't accept you for who you are, aren't worth the worry. I can tell you that from experience haha! You'll find that not everyone you meet in life will like you or will accept you and if you're anything like me, you'll find that hard to get your head around. I am very much a people pleaser and if some one doesn't like me, I absolutely hate it. I like to keep all people happy at all times. And that is one thing you can't do. If you say one thing, someone will say another, so if you say another, someone will say one thing and if you say nothing, neither will be happy! There is always someone that won't like you and I'm finally starting to accept that myself. 

But when you finally put everything aside, and you finally find the dress that suits you. You'll be surprised at how confident you can feel. When you finally own who you are, it will show. When people say you can see confidence, they aren't lying. You can almost feel it radiating out of someone. 

Being confident in who you are is such a beautiful thing. It can make you see the world in a different light. The outfits you wear feel so much more bad-ass. Your make up and hair feels on point. You strut rather than slump. You glow. It's not an arrogance thing, it's a loving yourself thing. 

You have to own who you are. There is no other you on the planet, and there never will be. Absolutely no one. And I think that's amazing, so why hide who you are. We should embrace the things we like about ourselves rather than focus on the things we dislike. Some times we can be our own worst enemy, picking apart the things we don't like. But we have to learn to be our own best friends.

I'm not saying its easy, especially if, like me, you've spent your whole life not being true to yourself. I'm not saying all your problems will disappear. I'm not saying that you won't have days where you feel less confident in who you are. What I want to say is that, when you finally start accepting who you are and all your little quirks, you do start to love yourself and I think the whole world needs to love itself more.

So, if you do like this sort of thing, maybe I can do another one... I have got other little ideas maybe?? I'd love to hear your opinions on being confident or loving who you are. 

Let me know what you thought, whether you like this sort of thing. 

Lots of love, hugs and a dash of lipstick, 

Leanne xo