Self-Confidence at 30

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Famous Footwear. All opinions are 100% mine.

Growing up, being different was frowned upon and an instant recipe for ridicule.

I was always different in some way. I’ve managed to screw up being “normal” on several occasions. Much of my school years were spent comparing, observing, and agonizing over how things would be if I just had more. More weight, more girly mannerisms, more talent, more material things. I was enough and I had enough. This, deep down I knew, but outside influence was catastrophic to my free spirit.

By my senior year in high school, I stopped caring about the opinions of others. Going to a new school helped foster that. I wore what I wanted… ehhh for the most part. My rainbow striped ski jacket was swiftly listed on Ebay after loudly being called a “gay jacket” in the hallway. Now, I proudly sip tea from my rainbow mugs, let my rainbow windsock hang in the springtime… and I’m looking to get that jacket back.

It takes self-confidence in pursuit of the unconventional. Like happiness, it’s a work that comes from within. Do I spend the rest of my life unhappy, wasting energy on trivial things or do I decide to love myself and create my own happiness? Besides, life is a whole lot better when you’re in good spirits. Am I right?

Nothing makes me happier than trying new things and exercising that self-confidence muscle by making the decision to do something that everyone may not like, but I love. Like deciding to go natural, wear my hair in locs, then rock a fade and dye it pink. Or maybe something that a lot of people love, that may be outside of my norm; like street fashion, chunky sweaters and booties.

The Fergalicious Women’s Punch Booties are my new jam.

I won’t pretend that I don’t zoom in and mentally make edits when I look in the mirror. After having three children, some things have changed for the better and some… well changed. It’s human nature and being observant, the mental modifications are a hard habit to break. As I grow older and continue to step forward in my journey, I choose to focus on finding the beauty within the flaws (if we should even call them that) as I no longer allow negative thought space up in this temple.

Every day is a chance to step forward into your best self, whether it’s choosing self-love, trying something new, or taking on a fulfilling project. Famous Footwear is challenging everyone to Step Forward by championing their confidence to be their best selves. By following the #StepForward hashtag on Instagram, you can check out some inspiring visual stories.

What are you doing to step forward into your best self? Are you taking any courses, starting a new business, meal planning, or working out? I would love to hear all about your step forward movements in the comments below! There are tons of things that I want to do. I could use some inspiration and maybe some accountability partners. 🙂

[bctt tweet=”It takes self-confidence in pursuit of the unconventional. Like happiness, it’s a work that comes from within.” via=”no”]