Womp Womp! Time to go back to school!... I mean, OH YES, SCHOOL! I am in the same boat you are in. I am going back to school. If you didn’t know, I am getting my masters degree. All that means is I am putting myself through more school after college. Why would anyone do such a thing? I think I secretly like to be stressed out over schoolwork and crazy 12 page papers (I really don’t, however people keep telling me it will be worth it and pay off in the end). Anywhoo, going back to school can be a challenge, especially if it’s a new school! What is a girl to do? Do you really want to know? All you have to do is be yourself and wear YOUR confidence! (If you don’t know how to wear your confidence read the article, 3 Things You Must Know Before You Can Wear Your Confidence!)

You can wear your confidence if you’re wearing a uniform, or regular clothes! You should know by now that wearing your confidence has NOTHING to do with your outer appearance or with the clothes that you wear. It is all about letting your inner beauty shine on the outside. Confidence invites people to talk to you! More people are drawn to you when you are secure in yourself, flaws and all!

If you’re on the shy side, that is fine too. Believe it or not, I’m extremely quite while in a classroom setting. I don’t like to participate because I am interested in absorbing all that the professor has to say. I come off as shy, but I’m really not. I like to keep to myself sometimes…and you know what? There is nothing wrong with that! I know who I am; I am an introvert with some extravert qualities. I talk when I want and if I want to be around a crowd of people I will choose to be. I’m not a weirdo, well maybe I am; but I own that too! If you are going to be weird then be confident about it! With that being said; go into the new school year owning YOU! Don’t let others define you or tell you who you are or who you should be. BE YOU! Get good grades! AND WEAR YOUR CONFIDENCE because it looks good on you!

WORK IT HONEY!

*Don’t forget your confidence

I never knew that shoes had so much power in our lives. They determine if we are rich or poor, popular or a loser. They tell us how successful we are and they help you get a man!? Wait what? How can shoes, the things you walk in say so much about a person? Who made up these “rules”? Believe it or not, each and every day we judged by the shoes we wear (like we need the extra judgment)! Shoes can make or break you! Take a look at your feet right now! What kind of shoes are you wearing? House slippers? Flip flops? No shoes? Well guess what? I just judged you! Sounds crazy, huh?

We girls have enough problems to deal with! Can we get a break? If you are anything like me, you really don’t care about what’s on your my feet (as long as I have some type of shoe on, I am fine!) I am a rare breed. What girl doesn’t like shoes? To be honest, I love shoes! All types! If I could, I would have a closet full of them. But my shoes don’t define me! I define my shoes. For example, I have gym sneakers, house shoes, everyday shoes, my “get cute” shoes etc. etc. It is not the other way around. You can’t tell me that my “get cute” shoes are more like house shoes (that would be rude)! What if I told you that there are shoes out there in the world that were designed with you in mind! When you put on these shoes they will not only make you look good, but you will get yourself a boyfriend, a husband and attention from guys, just by wearing them. What if I told you that? Would you buy the shoes? I know you want attention. I know you want to be liked and accepted but what does a shoe have to do with it? There is more to you than makeup, clothes, shoes and hair! What if you woke up bald, had to wear raggedy clothes, and had shoes with holes in it? Could you still be confident? Could you still walk with you head held up high, look people in the eyes without shame or fear? If so, that’s great! But I can guarantee that 99.9% of the time most girls would have a hard time doing this! I know it would take me some time to adjust (That is a major change)! You see, I know who I am. I know there is more to me than my clothes, shoes, hair and makeup and I want you to know and accept that too. Let’s face it, it is hard to be confident and believe in yourself when other girls are being mean to you. If there is something about you that they don’t like they let you know. If there is something about you that they do like, they won’t say it. Girls are quick to point out your flaws and tear you down. Instead of building the confidence of one another people bring you down and judge you by what you wear. It is a sad, sad story. You can’t judge people by the clothes or shoes they wear. Just because it LOOKS like they have it going on DOES NOT mean it! Just because you dress in a way that is “popular” does not mean you are corny, poor, or unattractive. There are so many people who use their clothes, makeup and hair as a way to cover up their very low self-esteem and confidence. Don’t be fooled by their glamorous Instagram pictures and their nice clothes, because underneath it all could be a person crying out for help and attention. That is why you can’t compare yourself to others. Your shoes might be ugly but that does not mean you are ugly. I have a pair of gym shoes that are raggedy and old. I wear them faithfully. I am nothing like those shoes I wear! Don’t allow anyone to define your worth!

Did you know there was a man that walked the earth over 2 thousand years ago in some raggedy scandals yet He was a king? He healed people, was looked over, talked about but there was greatness within Him! His name was Jesus! People judged Him for being Him! People attacked His character and said He had magical powers from Satan and that He wasn’t God. I bet people even talked about shoes! How could a king be dressed this way? He looked like a nobody, but in fact He was somebody important! He was The One that people needed in order to get to God in heaven. So the next time someone tries to make you feel bad about yourself because you don’t have the latest shoes, sneakers or outfits don’t let it get you down. Your clothes are just covering up your greatness! Your clothes and shoes don’t define your greatness! God does! He says you are fearfully and wonderfully made! God created you to be great! You came from Him. He lives within you! You’re great because you come from a great God! Don’t forget it!

Don’t forget your confidence!

With all that I just said how does the ad below make you feel?

I thought it would be a good idea for me to share an issue that I have struggled with since I was in Jr. High School…my skin! For those who know me, my skin, for the most part, has been clear. Every now and then I’d get those big under the skin, can’t pop pimples. You know the ones! They hurt like crazy and you have to let them do what they want or else you are left with a huge scar! YUCK! The funny thing about my skin is I never thought it was a big issue UNTIL 8th grade! This girl by the name of Christina (I will never forget her name!) said to me in class, “Your nose is sooo much lighter than the rest of your face.” It didn’t help that there just so happened to be a huge mirror in the class. So what did I do? I went and looked in the mirror and I stared at my face! I started to see that my nose WAS lighter than the rest of my face! How could I not have noticed this? I looked at my face all the time! Thank you Christina for pointing out a “flaw” that I didn’t even know was a flaw! After that incident, I brought it to my mother’s attention and told her I wanted to start wearing makeup. I told her my face was 2 colors and I didn’t like it. Yes, she tried to tell me nothing was wrong with me, but she wanted me to be happy. So we went to the store and as I sat at the counter I was nervous. I didn’t want anyone to see me and I didn’t want the makeup lady to look at my face. On top of that, she didn’t know what she was doing and couldn’t find the right color to blend in with my face. I was getting impatient and my nerves were on edge. I remember walking away in tears telling my mom that I wanted to go home. She couldn’t understand what was wrong with me. I was so upset and to make a long story short I’ve been wearing makeup every since. I wouldn’t wear it over my entire face, just my nose area. CRAZY RIGHT!? I was embarrassed, thank you Christina! I all of a sudden had an issue with my face because SOMEONE ELSE pointed out something that was different from them!

But my story gets better! For the past month or so my face has been breaking out. Not the usual bumps either! I am talking bumps under the surface of my face, on my cheeks. I didn’t know what was going on, I still don’t. (That’s not the good part, lol) The good part is I decided to stop wearing makeup, for the time being! I don’t know if the makeup was causing it, but I know my skin needs to breathe. So Saturday, I went all day without makeup. I was so uncomfortable! I didn’t want to leave the house and interact with people, BUT I DID JUST THAT! I even went out to eat by myself and got some work done! I ended up taking selfies at the table in the middle of me bring productive. I really had to Wear My Confidence that day!... I almost forgot it at home when I walked out the door! SMH! BUT GUESS WHAT!? I survived!

I looked myself in the mirror and REALLY examined myself and my face. I came to the conclusion that I needed to accept the things I can’t change (the exact thing I teach you!). I also noticed that my face really IS NOT THAT BAD! Sooo what did I do? I didn’t wear makeup to work on Monday! #nomakeupmonday I felt a bit weird too! But guess what? Today is Tuesday and I’m still not wearing makeup. I was tempted to do it today but I looked myself in the mirror and told myself that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I told myself that I am beautiful and that I am not going to put on makeup and then I walked out the door! Don’t get me wrong I love a beat face every now and then, but I was hiding behind my makeup. How can I talk to you about wearing your confidence when I’m hiding behind makeup? That AIN’T right (yes, I said AIN’T!) My words to you are: Don’t allow the words of others affect you. Christina pointed out a “flaw” that I didn’t know was a “flaw” and because of that I wasted so much time, effort and money trying to cover up who I was. This is me! There is so much more, no less!

Be you! Wear Your Confidence, not your makeup! Don’t cover up what God but His hands on!

I’ll think #noMakeupMondays will be my new thing from now on! Who is with me!? Are you confident enough for the CHALLENGE!? (There is no fire involved, only a lifetime of benefits and true beauty)

*Don’t Forget Your Confidence   

XOXO

Cherise

I took some pics  Monday and Tuesday. This is me! Naked face and all!