Body confidence is not that hard to achieve. A lot of young people think that body confidence is the enjoyment we get from people admiring how perfect we are. They think that in order to be body confident, you have to have perfect teeth, smooth skin, be a perfect size 10 and have the best combination of what ever hair-type is the fad at any given time. (I worked with teenagers for 10 years). We see how silly this idea is when we look at celebrities who go to extreme measures to ‘have the perfect body’.
Aren’t they already being held in esteem by others? Aren’t they revered and longed for? Aren’t their bodies the ones we’re supposed to strive for? Yet they’re starving themselves and going under painful procedures to maintain that apparent ‘perfect body’. Now, if they aren’t body confident with all the seeming ‘perfection’ they strive for, what really does give a person body confidence?
a ripple starts in the middle and radiates outwards
Look at the picture above. In order to make the ripple I threw a little stone into the water. I didn’t aim, I just threw something in. I knew that no matter how much I wanted that ripple to form, standing on the shoreline and staring at the water could not bring about the desired result. I threw my little stone in, and instantly a small ripple began to form. Before I could take the picture, there were several outer lines around my original, little ripple. Soon, I had some outer ripples forming as the lines expanded, naturally covering a progressively wider and wider area.
You’ve got to take action. Make a decision and stick to it. In the same way I picked up a stone and threw it into the water, you’ve got to decide that having the perfect body isn’t going to get you body confidence. You’ve got to start by changing something small within yourself. Confidence is never built from the outside looking in. As we said in an earlier article, confidence is a journey, not a destination. It’s built only from the inside. When you change that little thing inside that realises body confidence is not built on perfection (because no one is perfect), you’ll understand that confidence is only attained by learning to love what you already have.
Don’t just stand and stare. Act! Get something and throw it in. Make a plan of action, know what your strengths and weaknesses are, and take the first step to building confidence in your body. If you need to exercise, take the first, tiny step. You don’t need to work out how long you will do it for, or how many hours you’ll take. Just take that first, little step, cut your plan up into little, manageable pieces and start there. The ripple of confidence will start to form inside you.
Again, my ripples went outwards, not inwards. When you take your first step and start to build your body confidence, others will look at you in a different light. The way you feel about yourself will soon reflect in the way you walk, talk, move around and interact with others. You’ll walk brisker and taller. You’ll be more confident in the way you speak and people will take more notice of what you say and want. The more confident you become, the more your ripples will extend outwards. After a while the way people behave towards you will become a positive catch 22 – you’re confident, others treat you with more respect because you are, you become more confident because others treat you with more respect. Your body confidence is realised for what it is; not a perfect body, but a body you’re happy with and accept – a body which is perfect for you!
Have you got other ways of building body confidence? Have you got any of your own experiences to share about your own journey to building your body confidence? Whether you’re a teenager just finding your way around to build your confidence, or you’re an adult who’ve struggled for years, please let us know so we can share the help and the love all around. While you’re here, don’t forget to read, What is confidence and Build your confidence in 48 hours. Also, if you like confidence building aides, we have a page for this too.
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