Steps.

Be proud of the steps, no matter how small they seem to you, that you have  taken to become better. Be proud that you are trying even if you aren't there yet.  Be patient with yourself & most importantly be proud of yourself.
-Al Fox

BE YOURSELF. BE YOU!

"I wish my stomach was thinner"...."I wish my thighs were skinnier"...."I wish my hair was curly"....

"I hate my body"...."Why can't I look like her?"...."I wish I could dress that cute"...."I hate my nose"

Do all of these thoughts sound familiar to you? I know they do to me!

Yes..we have all been there where we look at ourselves in the mirror ever so often

 and nit pick at every little thing that we don't like about ourselves. Sometimes daily.

It's really tough to enjoy and get the most out of life when we are constantly being negative towards ourselves. People who haven't learned to accept and get along with themselves sometimes tend to have more difficulty accepting and getting along with others around them. We are told to "love your neighbor as yourself." A few years back, I confess that I spent my fair share of time focusing and comparing myself with others while having constant negative thoughts about myself and who I was.
I also found myself comparing other's lives with mine and focusing on the work God was doing in THEIR lives rather than focusing on all the many blessings and work that He was doing in MINE.
All of this got me no where. I was negative, jealous, bitter, and really tired emotionally & physically.


The Bible says a good tree will bear good fruit, and a rotten tree will bear rotten fruit. Likewise, the "fruit" of our lives comes from the "root" within us. If you're rooted in shame, guilt, inferiority, rejection, lack of love and acceptance, etc., the fruit of your relationships will suffer along with that also. However, once you know of God's unconditional love for you and begin to accept yourself and others, eventually these new roots will produce good fruit, and your relationships will thrive and prosper!!


Here are a few tips that I believe will help you succeed at being yourself and loving yourself!!

1. Never say or think negative things about yourself

Examples:"I never do anything right." "I'll never change." "I'm ugly." "I look terrible." "I'm dumb." "Who could ever love me?"

Matthew 12:37 

by your words you will be justified..., and by your words you will be condemned….

Proverbs 23:7

as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

The way we talk and think about ourselves reveals how we feel about ourselves. 

2. Speak not good but GREAT things about yourself 
For example: "I am the righteousness of God in Christ." "I am made acceptable in the Beloved." "God created me and formed me with His own hands, and God doesn't make mistakes." "I am fearfully and wonderfully made"

I like starting part of my day by making good confessions about myself. I do this while I am driving to work, sometimes during work, while I'm cleaning the house, etc. I encourage you for a few days to look in the mirror at yourself and say "God loves and accepts me unconditionally, and so do I"  
You might feel uncomfortable or stupid doing it at first, but I promise you this really does work!!


3. Never compare yourself with other people.
I have to tell you....God must LOVE variety or He wouldn't have created us all differently—even down to our fingerprints. We will never succeed at being ourselves if we are constantly trying to be like someone else. Believe me I have tried this and I am sure you have too! Other people can be a good example to you, but duplicating even their good traits will manifest differently through your individual personality. So.... focus on YOUR abilities, YOUR talents, YOUR traits and all the many gifts that God has blessed YOU with.  

4. Focus on your potential instead of your limitations.
 Actress Helen Hayes was told early in her career that if she were four inches taller she'd be the greatest actress of her time. Her coaches tried various methods of stretching her, but nothing increased her height. She refused to concentrate on the supposed limitation of being five feet tall and decided to concentrate on her potential. As a result, she was eventually cast as Mary, Queen of Scotland—one of the tallest queens who ever lived! I love this story!

5. Find something you like to do that you do well, and do it over and over. 
If you spend your time doing things you're not good at, it'll frustrate you and cause you to feel defeated and unsuccessful. Find something that you love or enjoy and do it often.

6. Have the courage to be different and deal with criticism. 
Be a God-pleaser, not a man-pleaser (Galatians 1:10). If you dare to be different, you'll have to expect some criticism. Going along with the crowd—when you know in your heart God's leading you a different way—is one reason people don't succeed at being themselves. You won't like yourself very much if you go against your own convictions.

7. Keep your flaws in perspective.
People with a high level of confidence have just as many weaknesses as people without confidence, but they concentrate on their strengths—not their flaws or weaknesses. So try and concentrate on all the strengths that you have instead of focusing so much on the weaknesses. Our weaknesses can be made strong. God gives us weaknesses that we become humble and come unto Him. (Ether 12:27)

I hope that you enjoyed the tips that I shared with you today.

Now go out there and be the best

 YOU that God has created YOU to be!!

Day 8: A Piece of Advice You Have For Others

Here we are..Day 8 of the Blog Everyday in May Challenge

Day 8: A Piece of Advice You Have For Others

This one came really easy to me because there are 

so many things I could and wanted to write about.

 This is what was on my heart....

Be YOU

You are a rare, you are one-of-a-kind, and you are a valuable and precious woman in the sight of God.

To help you learn how to be successful at being YOU, here are some tips that have helped me....

1. Speak good things about yourself. Declare what God’s Word says about you. For example, say to yourself, “I am the beautiful and righteous in the sigh of God. I am a wonderful daughter of God. God formed me with His own hand, He loves me, and God doesn’t make mistakes because he is perfect.”

2. Avoid comparing yourself with other women. God must love variety, or all of us wouldn’t look so different. He has created each of us differently right down to our fingertips. We can look to certain people as good examples to follow, but even then, good traits if duplicated will manifest differently through our individual personalities.

3. Focus on your potential instead of your limitations. Refuse to concentrate on your weaknesses except in an effort to turn them into strengths. Keep your flaws in perspective. People with a high level of confidence have just as many weaknesses as those without confidence, but they focus on their strengths instead of their weaknesses.

4. Learn to cope with criticism. If you dare to be different, you’ll have to expect some criticism. Going along with the crowd when you know in your heart that God is leading you in a different direction is one of the reasons women don’t succeed at being themselves. You won’t be comfortable in your own skin if you go against your own convictions.

You are a woman who is perfected and complete in Him. When you start to believe that, you will no longer feel that you are lacking anything or that there is anything wrong with you.

Remember this: God will never have you to be anyone other than yourself. Let NOW be your time to go forward and be set free from the torments of comparing yourself with others and trying to be someone you’re not. God is proud of who He made you to be!

Scriptures to Encourage You

Psalm 119:73
Your hands have made me, cunningly fashioned and established me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.

Psalm 139:13-18
For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery].

Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I awoke, [could I count to the end] I would still be with You.

Romans 5:5
Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.

1 Corinthians 8:3
But if one loves God truly [with affectionate reverence, prompt obedience, and grateful recognition of His blessing], he is known by God [recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love, and he is owned by Him].

2 Corinthians 5:21 
For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

Ephesians 1:6
[So that we might be] to the praise and the commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.

And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, Who loved us and gave us everlasting consolation and encouragement and well-founded hope through [His] grace (unmerited favor), comfort and encourage your hearts and strengthen them [make them steadfast and keep them unswerving] in every good work and word.