People always tell me that they wish they could have the confidence I have to rock my blue hair. They tell me they’d love to have some bright color, but that it just “isn’t them” or that they just couldn’t do it. It’s something that, while it seems so simple, is something that is near and dear to my heart. This comment that has been continually said to me over the years is the thing that made me realize I want to help others understand their potential.
I have had crazy hair since I was 13. I remember sitting in my middle school graduation with hot pink highlights. I was sitting in my chair, huge grin on my face, feeling so confident in my crazy. I remember getting side eyed glares and parents would tell their kids they would never let them do something like that. But I didn’t even care – for the first time, I felt like myself.
That sounds silly, I know. But ‘normal hair’ just doesn’t suit me. As soon as I got those highlights put in, I felt like a completely different person. I was so shy and timid, while quite opinionated I was afraid to share those opinions with others. I was so terrified to stand up for myself. But I realized that girls with wild hair weren’t afraid. Girls with wild hair were brave. So from that moment on, I knew that I had to become the kind of girl that would rock the wild mane.
Now, I’m not saying that it fixed all of my confidence problems. Not by a mile. But what it did do was spark that fire that made me realize that I could become whoever I wanted to be, and I wasn’t limited by what I was told I should be. I also realized that I shouldn’t be afraid to step out of my comfort zone. Because when I did, I became who I needed to be in order to fulfill what I wanted.
That’s what I tell everyone when they tell me they wish they could do [insert anything outside of their comfort bubble here].
Personally, I have so much rocking blue lipstick, wild hair and crazy obnoxious leggings. It’s not because I’ve always been confident in them or that I felt that I would be well received with it. But because I enjoy it. And when I wear that stuff, I become the confident type of person that would wear it.
Think about it – does a not-confident person wear blue lipstick?
Apply that same logic to your health and fitness journey, or anything in your life. When you step out of your comfort zone to do something new, you will have no choice but to become the type of person that would follow through with it. That doesn’t mean it’s easy or it will happen overnight. But one day you’ll look in the mirror and realize you’re not second guessing yourself. You’ll realize you’re standing taller, you’re confident, and you’re so proud of how far you’ve come.
But that won’t just land on you out of nowhere – you have to reach for it.
I fully believe that if I never took the leap to have wild hair, that I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. I wouldn’t be here writing this post, or even have the same passions that I do no.
It doesn’t need to be as drastic as completely changing your hair color. Maybe for you it’s wearing a red shirt instead of the typical black one. Maybe it’s showing up to the gym, even working out in the weight room, while surrounded with other people. Maybe it’s finally starting your business or investing in that course that you need.
You don’t become the person that you need to be by continuing to do what you’ve always done. You become the person that you need to be by doing the things that scare you.
Caterpillars don’t become butterflies just by wishing. They have to go through the process. They have to build their cocoon, literally turn into slime before forming into the beautiful insect, then fight their way out. It isn’t easy, but they do it because they know they need to for survival. If they don’t, they’ll never be more than worms on the ground.
Stop hiding what you love or what you want just because you feel you’re not ready yet or ‘it’s just not for you.’ The fact of the matter is that you’ll never be ready and you’ll never feel like it’s for you. I wake up everyday to write, and I love it. But I still wonder if this is really what I’m supposed to be doing. Do I really have the right to get on here and share this you? I mean, who do I think I am?
But I do it anyway. As soon as my fingers land on the keyboard, I become the person I need to be to inspire others and help them realize their potential. It isn’t easy. And frankly it isn’t always fun – it’s a lot of work. But it is so incredibly worth it.
You have the potential inside of you to rock who YOU were meant to be. Not who your boss, your friend, your sister, your boyfriend wants you to be. But who YOU were meant to be. Maybe that means rocking pink hair or getting your nose pierced. Maybe that means starting those classes or going back to school. Whatever it is, just do it. It won’t be easy – but it will definitely be worth it. You have all of the potential and ability that you’ll ever need inside of you. But it’s up to you to put in the work to bring it out.
So what are you waiting for? What is something you can do right this second to be one step closer to who you need to be?
Leave a Reply