Being confident and loving yourself is one of the hardest things to have in the society we live in today. There’s just so much comparison and unrealistic expectations that we, especially as women, put on ourselves that stunts your growth, distracts us from true happiness, and causes anxiety/social anxiety and depression.
The good news is that self-confidence and self-esteem isn’t inherited, it’s a skill that can be learned!
It’s time to ask yourself, “Why is building self-confidence important to you?” Do you ever find yourself sitting alone at a party or gathering, wishing that you can interact with people? Maybe you’ve started dating and want to make a good impression when you meet a potential love interest.
The first step in building self-confidence is knowing WHY you want to achieve it. Find your purpose.
For as long as I can remember, I had always been the “quiet one.” As a child, I used to hide behind my mom when strangers would come up to us. When I would attend family gatherings, I would sit in a secluded room and away from people because I felt like I didn’t have anything to contribute. Even up until early adulthood, I was still cowering away from big groups and not participating in what looked like really fun activities.
I would think to myself, “why is so hard to go out there and make friends? Why aren’t you enjoying life to the fullest. You are a grown a** women still acting as though you’re 5 years old cowering behind whatever you can find. This is so silly! All of the people you know are laughing and smiling, and doing amazing things with their lives – why aren’t you?!
My focus shifted and my purpose was so strong, I couldn’t ignore it any longer. I was internally screaming – HEY! LIFE IS SHORT TO BE SITTING ON THE SIDE LINES. I began to open my heart and mind to my endless creative potential. I started educating myself and reading self-help books. I went shopping and bought some clothes that made me feel pretty. My only best friend at the time dragged me to my first music and art festival where I furthered my self discovery, and was given permission to be as weird as I wanted to be and still be accepted.
My desire to live loudly started to grow….
My desire to live loudly started to grow and it was around that time where I decided to pick up hooping. This new found confidence didn’t happen overnight. Consistent practice of learning new things and getting out of your comfort zone is the key to growth.
When I first started hooping, I remember practicing inside my tiny apartment for a full year, 2 hours a day every day and basically taught myself because I was afraid to go out into public. When I was finally able to hoop around the waist consistently and do a few tricks, I decided it was time to step outside and hoop at a public park.
I’m not going to sugar coat this – be prepared if you’re planning to hoop in public! People will stare and a lot of times crowd around you like you’re entertainment. “Dance monkey dance! Do something cool!” People will come up to you and ask you questions as though you’re a hoop expert even though you’re not.
Hooping was the biggest catalyst that helped me build confidence and self-esteem!
It wasn’t easy at first, but I learned to embrace those public interactions. This was the perfect opportunity to chat with strangers about something I loved. Not only was I building social skills, but I was also building my self-confidence because the topic was something that I was passionate about.
Hooping was the biggest catalyst that helped me build confidence and self-esteem!
For nearly three years after I started hooping, I hosted hoop jams at a public park every single weekend and I began to teach beginner hoop classes. You can imagine the amount of opportunities I had to practice with my local community. It was phenomenal! I also brought hooping to my place of work every single day, and it inspired dozens of co-workers to start hooping with me. I even hooped at our company’s annual meeting with the CEO!
There are three main things that hooping has taught me which attributed to my newfound confidence and self-esteem:
- Body awareness: Sometimes, if people have difficulties with body awareness, they may appear clumsy, uncoordinated, or have delays in motor skills. When you start hooping, you begin to feel and move parts of your body that you probably weren’t aware of before, especially when you start to learn new moves and tricks. Why is body awareness so important? It helps us know how they move and work, and even how they feel. It also helps us understand how to relate to objects and people.
- Being Present In The Moment: When you start hooping…like really start to hoop, you get into the “zone” or some may call it the “flow state.” You inadvertently become present with your hoop; only able to focus on your breathe, how you feel, and your movement. There’s nothing quite like it.
- Self-worth: I use to be scared of doing anything in public because I feared being the center of attention and people judging me. However, the more I hooped, the more I realize – HEY I’m doing this solely for myself and no one else. I’m reaping benefits on SO many levels; why not share my knowledge? We all deserve to live out loud and be proud of all of our accomplishments. There’s no sense in hiding anymore. Appreciate what you have to give the world without looking at anyone else for comparison. Learn what makes you YOU and embrace all of your unique qualities.
Are you struggling with confidence? If so, what is your WHY? Why do want to change? What steps have you taken to move yourself forward and grow? Or maybe you have a success story. Either way, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please share and leave a comment below. 🙂
