Karen

Today marks my last day as a 34-year-old woman. The next time the clock strikes 12, I will have officially entered my mid-30s, huzzah!

So what am I doing with these last few hours of year 34? Well, playing with makeup, of course, and taking stock of my life (overall, no big complaints).

I’m also setting goals for year 35, and since I seem to have misplaced my confidence at some point along the way from 34 to here, I’m making its restoration Priority No. 1.

Mind you, I’ve definitely made progress lately. I’m not as down on myself as I was a few months ago; your support and encouragement have helped (THANK YOU!), but there’s still a lot of work to be done.

Where a few months ago I was telling myself I couldn’t write, couldn’t take a decent picture to save my life, lost my sense of humor, wasn’t a good wife, sister, daughter, etc. — today I’m merely telling myself I’m not half bad, which is still not the same as saying, “Karen, you’re great!”

When it comes to writing, in particular, sometimes I feel like an athlete after a bad injury. Even though I’ve been through the physical therapy, in this case the extra reading and writing exercises, I just don’t trust my instincts anymore. I second guess myself now, where before the injury I would have just gone for the dunk!

As I move into my thirty-fifth year of life, I want to nurture the part of me that once believed I could do anything. Lately, I’ve been reading a lot about different ways to do that, and here are five of the tips that have helped:

1. If all else fails, hang on!

Author William Feather once said that “Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” In my case, since I’m usually my own worst critic, I read that to mean outlasting my inner critic. Sooner or later she’ll get tired of picking on me and move on to someone else, LOL!

When something knocks you down, pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and keep…moving…forward — one small accomplishment at a time.

2. Feed your confidence muscles

Make notes of every compliment you receive, and post them somewhere visible (where you can see them all the time). Do the same thing with uplifting quotes, and read biographies about confident people you admire.

3. Seek support

Surround yourself with a posse of supportive people (and a mentor if you’re working toward a specific goal). That’s easier said than done, but ask yourself, “Who are the most supportive people I know?” and reach out to them.
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