Encouragement: noun
1. the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope
2. persuasion to do or to continue something
3. the act of trying to stimulate the development of an activity, state, or belief
Not so long ago I spent some time....pretty much the space between my 20th year of life and my 40th...hating cameras and taking pictures. I'd begrudgingly take the shot, try to be a good sport, but for the most part despising every second. Without a doubt, no matter how much I loved the memory pictures archived, you can bet I was critical and unhappy with how I looked in it. Not EVERY picture mind you. The ones with my babies, where I looked crazy and sleep deprived, those always made me happy, but a lot of the others made my skin crawl. See, the girl that lived in my head, didn't live on the outside of my body, and every picture was further proof of the disconnect I felt.
For me, the long journey of digging deep and getting the inside girl to the surface was through fitness. Challenging myself helped me connect all the dots I needed to in order to live ME out loud. I became confident, my smile more genuine, I was in all ways more authentically me. The authentic me had passion, fire, hope and....a shit load of selfies! Pictures. Of myself. That I was happy with. Not so much because of how I looked with my body, but about the spark I saw behind my eyes. I found that through silly selfies in my bathroom mirror I was encouraged to stay the course, fight for better, believe in myself and have hope. Who knew that what seemed like a such a one sided conversation could be so inspiring, but it was. I found a way to encourage myself on days that I didn't feel like doing hard work. The pictures became the proof of my progress, the image of my passion, and the symbol of my determination. And in all those selfies, that seem so egotistical, self serving, and narcissistic, I was indeed having a moment with my God. An intimate moment in fact, always thanking Him, constantly asking for direction, always begging for something bigger. Not to serve me, but to serve someone else. Because while I love my outward appearance, what truly feeds me is how I can effect others with it.
So I ENCOURAGE you to find a way to ENCOURAGE YOU! It may not be with selfies, but there's some way for you to help yourself fight the fight for the inside girl who wants to be living with you in the real world. Encourage yourself to keep moving forward, believe in your journey, and continue to be the very best you. My payer, my hope, my very last wish, is that every woman feels confident in their own skin, loves every darn picture of themselves, and passes that JOY on everyday.