How to be more confident

I have a casting for a fashion show today. That means I'll be showing my walk and my figure to a panel of critical judges and the scrutinizing eyes of my competition.

It's more than a little nerve-racking.

When I first started in this industry, I had zero confidence. Sure, people told me constantly that I could be a model, but I didn't believe it. Those other models had something I didn't and whatever it was, I didn't think I could get it.

Fast forward to today, and though I still wouldn't consider myself an expert (I've got a lot to learn!), I'm much more confident in my ability to rule that runway or rock a photoshoot.

So how did I get here?

1. I learned more about the industry.

My lack of knowledge was the source of a lot of my fears around modeling. So I started reading articles and watching videos on how to walk, how to pose, what to wear to castings, etc. The more I learned, the more the fear started to fade.

How do you start the day?

Do you begin with a sigh as the alarm goes off and you realize it's time to face another day? Do you jump on the phone or computer and immediately start plugging in? Or do you take a moment to acclimate yourself to the day and "let the sunshine in"?

Starting the day with a moment of clarity and calm is one of the easiest ways to improve your attitude and outlook. A 5-minute meditation, a prayer devotion, just 3 deep breaths — all these things can help you set a positive intention for the day, rather than fall victim to whatever state you wake up in.

Then you can check Facebook.

Why write this now?

I'm starting this blog because I've been feeling lonely.

Not lonely in the sense of staring longingly through the window and pining for company or waiting anxiously by the phone hoping it will ring, but lonely in the sense of shifting, shifting out of one era and into another. Lonely in the sense of shedding, releasing the past and looking forward to the future.

I'm finding myself on a path that only I can walk, no longer finding comfort in places I once did. I have been asking for close companionship, for community, and I have it and am finding it, but still not in the form I desire. I'm seeing that I need to "let go and let God" and learn to find ease in this seemingly isolating time.

So here I am creating a space for myself to share all the thoughts that used to spill out over my girlfriends as we passed the time in the apartment we once shared. The thoughts that I know were appreciated, needed, and often echoed as we all tried to figure out our place in this mixed up life.

The thoughts I want to share are thoughts of love, of change, of power. Your power, my power, our power. Our potential to be great and mighty once we clear away the limitations of our beliefs. Our power to create a new life and a new world, to transform everything around us. Our capacity to love ourselves and others beyond anything we've ever experienced on this planet.

I could keep these thoughts bottled up, but I believe now is the time to share. We have forgotten our power and become victims of life and circumstance. We cry out for what we need when what we need is ourselves, to know ourselves and to be free once again.

Thank you for reading. I hope you find something here that blesses your heart.

And remember, you are loved.