Supergoddess Me
Female: “I can’t think of a name for my blog.”
Friend: “Why not Supergoddess? It fits you.”
Female: “Hmm. You’re right. It does, doesn’t it? Thanks!”
AND then Supergoddess Me was born…
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I wasn’t always this cocky… confident… sure of myself. Believe me, once upon a time, I was this shy, timid girl with inferiority complex who gets sick in the stomach and vomits everytime she’s nervous. Okay, so maybe that still happens to me ’til today (old habits die hard), but I am far different from who-what-how I was years ago.
I grew up under the shadow of an older sister. Older sister was smart, confident, outgoing, no-nonsense type of girl… a real toughie. She was also the nanny’s favorite. And since we were left with our nanny for the most part of our growing up days, well, older sister basically ruled. Nanny just adored her and everybody knows about it. I for one, knew about it. How can I not when I was always, ALWAYS being compared to her?
She’s not as tough… She can’t be on her own, she might get lost… She’s so nice, people will take advantage of her… She can’t take care of herself… She’s NOT a lawyer she won’t know what to do…
Those were but some of the words I heard spoken about me. And somehow, they stuck. When you are young, you are easily influenced by what others think about you. Give a child words of encouragement, and you will build her confidence. Tell a child how disappointing you think she is, and you will easily see the change on how she sees herself. Eventually she will prove that she IS a disappointment if that is what you keep ingraining in her.
For some time when I was growing up, I think my self-esteem was subzero. Self worth… uhm, what self worth?
My confidence level improved somewhat when I was in high school. I realized that I was smart enough. I was a diligent student, too. And so I studied hard, made sure that my grades were above average, so I had something to be proud of. Something to feel good about. I knew, as well, that my parents would be proud of me, too, if I kept getting good grades. I was somewhat active in high school. I had a lot of friends, I joined contests and clubs, but I made it a point to hit the books whenever needed — which was all the time. I was a closet nerd.
College was another thing, though. The university was big, the course was tough, I had to make new friends, so it was pretty much like going back to square one. I had to prove myself all over. I was a diligent student still, yet I guess my shy side prevented me from shining.
I think it was when I started working that my transformation took place. It was then that I realized that there’s nothing wrong with being nice, or patient, nor is it bad to smile a lot. In a way I looked at my being “charming” as an advantage. It made people warm up to me. Being friendly and approachable helped. Eventually as they found out that I had brains, too, well I guess I gained their respect more.
But more than what the others may think about me, my confidence level grew when I started seeing myself differently. It was when I stopped comparing myself to others — my sister, my mom, my friends– that I began to value myself more. It was when I accepted myself for who I am that I understood what self-worth is all about.
Oh yes, I still had my moments. There still were people who tried to bring out the insecure, inferiority complexed person in me. In my past life, I went out with someone who was emotionally abusive. For some time I was inching back to subzero… It took the intervention of my best friends to make me realize that I shouldn’t let anyone trample on my self-esteem, nor should I start comparing myself to other women… specially when, according to them, I am already several levels high up. Thank God for caring friends!
One YOU
We are all unique individuals. Our differences make us who we are. Our differences make us special. We are all an “original” given our strengths, as well as our flaws and imperfections. Our self worth should not be dependent on other people.
You don’t need another person to define you.
What’s important is that you KNOW yourself.
And LOVE yourself.
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photos via weheartit.com
Supergoddess Me 