You don't have to try so hard.

I turned on my music to listen to, as I always do before bedtime. The second song that came on was "Try" by Colbie Caillat. The last stanza is my favorite:

Take your make-up off
Let your hair down
Take a breath
Look into the mirror, at yourself
Don't you like you?
'Cause I like you

And I just felt like God was talking to me, speaking to me. I've had a bit of a rough week, and I've had a kind of tough time with myself. I have a forehead that looks like the sky at night, and it's only a recent development, and I've been kind of...sensitive about it, I guess, even though no one has commented on it. And I guess...Yesterday my dad's work had a field day, and there was this really cute guy at the juggling booth, but he first thought that Porter was my son, so that was really embarrassing–I just felt kind of bad about myself. And I just am so glad that Heavenly Father is there for me. I am so glad that He loves me, and takes time to let me know that I'm perfect the way I am, and that there is no reason why I shouldn't like myself, because He loves me. I found this picture the other day, and I absolutely love it!!!

I just love this so much!! God worked so hard to make us the way that He wants us to be!! It makes Him sad when we don't love ourselves because He worked so hard and made us the way that He wants us to be. And He made us perfectly. We are perfect in His eyes, and we shouldn't ever try to change who we are because we are who we are because He made us that way. You don't have to try so hard, guys. We all make mistakes, and we are all imperfect people, but we are perfect to Him, and that's enough for me. 

So you think you're not that great. Well, I know you're wrong.

This picture speaks such truths. Too many people are down on themselves, focusing on the negative, instead of focusing on the positive. I, too, have been a victim of this, and this picture reminded me that I need to value myself more. There are so many people that do so many good things, but they're too focused on all of the negative things about them that they don't realize that they are a great person. I do this often. I get so focused on how annoying I think I am and sometimes I forget how wonderful I am. No, that's not being vain. Recognizing that you are wonderful and beautiful is not being vain. Flaunting that and caring only about that is. Dressing nice and caring about your image is not being vain. Only caring about your image, however, is. “You’d worry less about what people thought of you if you realized how little they did.” Some person said this; I don't know who. I got it off of another blog. Anyway. But it is true. People don't really care about you in the way that you think they do. They don't care about your clothes or your hair in the way that you think they do. Yes, they want you to look and smell nice, but they don't only care about that. They care about how you act and hold yourself. Anyway, I got off topic. You are a wonderful being. Don't ever forget that. God made you just the way you are, and just the way He wants you to be. Don't ever doubt your capabilities. Don't ever doubt how amazing you are. There are people's lives out there that you need to touch because only you can, but you can't do that if you're constantly doubting yourself or underestimating your wonderfulness. There are some things only you can do. God has prepared you for many things, and you need to believe in yourself. Be confident. Don't worry what others think of you so much. Be the amazing, wonderful, fantastic, brilliant, and fantabulous person you are. 

Like I said, do what you do best and love it. Don't only care about others' opinions of you. The only person's opinion you should care about (besides your own) is Heavenly Father's. He made you just the way He wants you. So, that's that. You're perfect in His eyes. "Be yourself; everyone else is taken." So, once you've boosted your own self-esteem, you can do God's work and help others boost their own self-esteem, thus creating a chain reaction of self-esteem boosting-ness. Don't forget: you are amazing and you can do and be whatever you want to be, whether it be a lawyer or a mathematician, or a scientist, or a musician. You can do it. Be yourself, and don't forget that you're not just great: you're amazing and wonderful and brilliant.