Today’s word of the day is: CONFIDENCE
Yay! Finally, a step-by-step check list of must-do’s to become your (hashtag) WCW (hashtag) Goals! Click below to read more 🙂
I’ve compiled a quick and easy list of steps for you to follow:
1. You can’t actually do this.
2. That’s it. Sorry.
Okay, so maybe that was a little harsh, but I had to catch your attention somehow!
How often do we swoon over a new Instagram gem? We stalk her, love her, screenshot/save her photos.. then two months later, realize we will never be her or at her level, and therefore end up feeling discouraged?
It is SO important not to compare yourself to your #WCWs. It sounds like a given, but we all subconsciously begin doing so at some point in time. As soon as you try to be her, physically look like her, be her weight, have her hair, do everything she does, have her status level, blahblahblah, you lose SO much of yourself. I myself have been so guilty of this, not only in the blogging/influencer community but also the fitness community when #gymwaslife. The fitness comparison game ate me alive. My confidence and self-esteem was at an all time low and even though I was thin and pretty lean, I always thought I looked fat compared to the fitness models I followed. Bottom line, I was MISERABLE with myself.
Now, I know we’re not here reading this because we want to be fitness girls, but the same can be applied to the blogging/influencer community. Sometimes, I feel as though we get so lost in this pseudo ‘insta-world’ that girls are beginning to look exactly the same – except, isn’t the epitome of trying to become an influencer mean to be unique to your own? You have, have, have to remember to ask yourself, “Why am I in love with my insta inspo?”
Is it because she stands out? Probably.
Is it because she does what every one else does but differently? Probably.
Is it because her outfits are fun and distinctive? Probably.
Is it cause she seems normal and real AF? Probably.
If she looked like and did things you’ve already seen many other girls do, you most likely would NOT hit that follow button, right? Probably.
You’re drawn to your Instagram crush simply because they make their everyday, normal life look cute and fun. But what are they doing that’s so special? Not much other than being themselves in their everyday element. I can almost guarantee you they’re not living a complete fake lie of a life. Granted, some of these girls are fashion gurus traveling the world, but hey, they started out just like you.. with less than 2,000 followers, hashtagging the heck out of each post, the ‘start-up’ instagram life list goes on. Their lives may look unattainable but that’s only because it is unattainable right now. This doesn’t mean it’s not attainable for you in the future.
But most importantly, you MUST remember this, and goes for E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E:
Just like so-and-so is your Insta idol, YOU are also someone else’s idol too! YES, FOR REAL. Someone, somewhere stalks the crap out of your feed, turns on your post notifications, and saves your photos. Someone, somewhere is so obsessed with you that they share your photos in groups messages with her friends, and they all talk about how cool and pretty you are. Yeah girl. You. Got. FANS!
And chances are, you’re not doing much more than simply being you too… right? It’s so simple yet so mind-blowing.. I know, I thought the same as this idea dawned on me. Yet, we often get sidetracked into thinking that if we’re not doing what our inspo is doing, we’re not as cool or look interesting enough. Well, that’s a bunch of baloney, and I’m definitely not talking about the nice grass fed, organic, 98% fat free baloney. Just because you find so-and-so amazing doesn’t mean everyone else holds that same value in her.
So here’s a summary of some Do’s and Don’ts:
Don’t: try to be a carbon copy of someone, because it’s physically not possible; just as she could never be you if she wanted to.
Do: use them as inspo to help you get going in the right direction, motivate you, generate new ideas, and stir creativity.
Don’t: ever let your WCW make you feel any less confident or beautiful; the last thing your own fans need to know is that you don’t love yourself for you nor rock what you got as much as you should.
Do: keep your WCW purely as inspo and leave it there. Don’t start playing the comparison game – you both are on two different paths going at two different speeds.
Do: accept any & all compliments (something that took me many years to master). This alone will help boost that confidence to become more creative! Don’t assume people are insincerely complimenting just to be nice. If they weren’t vibing well with it, they wouldn’t say anything at all.
The faster you begin to embrace your true self and your everyday life, the more confident and quick you will get to reaching your personal goals – the girl you envision yourself to be 2 years, 5 years, 10 years down the line. You will never be your WCW and your WCW will never be you; and that’s a beautiful thing. People love you because of you are you – nothing more, nothing less. If you want to be your WCW, be your own. The only way you’ll ever discover true confidence is through being your biggest fan; pep-talking yourself every morning that you’re a bomb super star whose got fans waiting for that “(insert your insta handle here) just shared a new post” notification.
There is only one of you – so OWN IT. You are exceptional and unique to your own, and your insta inspo should only go as far as helping you discover & fine tune some attributes!