I am proud of myself, and you should be proud of yourself. It doesn’t matter the size of your victory. Maybe you didn’t even have a victory. Maybe today, it took all you had to get through the day. Be proud about that not upset. Sometimes getting through a day is the greatest victory one can accomplish.

Why am I proud? Well lets start with…I haven’t always felt this way. I haven’t always liked myself. I wanted long blonde hair, to be tall and have blue eyes. I wanted a bigger house, a nicer car, a rich husband (or just an honest boyfriend), a better job. I wanted to make a statement. But who was I trying to impress. The outside world. I wanted to be the best, the most attractive, and the one who made it. What does “making it” even mean.

Learning to be proud has been and still can be a struggle for me from time to time. I have let and still sometimes let the outside world try to tell me how and who I should be. Getting older, life’s lessons, and learning to appreciate the small victories have taught me how to be proud.

My 30’s have been the greatest years of my life. I started working at Let It Shine Gymnastics when I was 29. It was the fall of 2012, just a few months before I turned 30. I took a huge leap of faith choosing to work there. I didn’t know anyone. I knew nothing about the gym and was scared to death to be working so far away from my family. I am so proud of myself for taking this chance. It has changed my life in more ways than I can count. It was the beginning of teaching me to truly love myself. It was there that I found my purpose.

In past seven years, I have had some of my proudest moments. I moved to the big city of Nashville. I have had some great roommates, cause dang…it’s expensive to move here. But I have worked my way up to living on my own. It took me longer to get there than others, but this is God’s plan not mine. And it has been LIS that has brought me closer to God.

I am proud of who I am and what I look like. I am finally loving myself for me. I can look at myself in the mirror and see my imperfections, but I smile because I finally know who I am. I am proud to be me. I like my sassy little self with legs so short, it’s hard to find pants that fit in length. I like my grey hairs that peek through when it I flip my hair to the side. I like my short stubby fingers that will never be able to palm a basketball. I even like the dimple in my butt that I can’t get rid of even though I workout four days a week. It’s probably my diet, but I like that I can still eat whatever I want at thirty-six. I like me, I like my imperfections, and I have the confidence in myself like never before.

My confidence comes from God. HE has taught me to love myself and when you can love yourself, you will be the happiest you will ever be. I have truly learned to rely on him. I can’t explain the freedom you feel when you put your life in God’s hands.

Be proud of yourself. Love yourself. You are you and God didn’t make a mistake when he made you. I am proud of me.