We all have our insecurities. And maybe it's just something simple -- like the shape of your face, the texture of your hair, or the color of your eyes. Sometimes it's not even an insecurity about outward appearance; it tends to be things like the sound of your voice, your laugh, or even your personality.
Do you know what happen when you take the "in" away from insecure? You get secure. The opposite of being insecure is being secure and stable -- knowing who you are and not letting anyone or anything weaken that stability.
I realized that only you can change your mind. The only one who can make you believe that you are beautiful, that you are enough, that you don't need to be anyone else except yourself...is you. Sure, there might be others who help you along and remind you of your true worth and beauty...but you have to choose to believe it.
It all starts with comparison. In order to start believing, you have to stop comparing.
Stop comparing yourself to others so you can believe that you are more than your reflection and more than your mistakes. Because you aren't those girls at your school who are "so much prettier than you". You aren't your sister who is "so much more loved than you". You aren't your best friend who is "so much less shy than you are". And you will never be them. You are you.
So take a moment to just stop comparing, start believing, and begin the journey of finding out who you are, who God wants you to be, and what steps you can take to get there. The journey isn't going to take overnight, it might take a while. But take it one step at a time. Every step is a step closer.
Look yourself in the mirror and proclaim it. "I am beautiful. I am loved. I am worth more than my mistakes and the price tags on my clothing. I don't need to be like them because I am me. And I am amazing."
There's a Dr. Seuss quote that says: "To the world, you may be one person. But to one person, you may be the world."
Just think about that for a minute. You may just mean the world to that one person. That's incredible.
Insecure is a label we put on ourselves.
We don't have to leave that label there anymore. We don't have to be defined by our past, by our mistakes, by what others say about us.
Rip that label that says "insecure" right off and start right now by putting on some new labels. How about ones that say "fighter", "strong", "beautiful"...and "secure".
Only you can change your mind.