Guest Post by Shana Seigler

Celebrity Status Self-Worth

I’m currently working on my celebrity status leveled self-worth. I would say I am an ultimate fangirl.  I go crazy when I meet my favorite celebrities. Don’t worry; I have examples.  When meeting Norman Reedus, I stood there wide-eyed and frozen. He came to get me and led (dragged) me to the spot for my photo op. During the picture, I started to ugly cry.  I could not stop jumping and screaming when I met Jason Momoa. That meeting ended in tears too. 

Stan Lee. The legendary Stan Lee. I cried buckets when I met him as well. I can go on and on with this ridiculousness.  However, I decided with the most recent meet-and-greet that I would keep it together at that time. 

I planned what I was going to say like it’s such a pleasure to meet you, and thank you for your time. As I approached him before I could even open my mouth…” Hi! How are you? It is such a pleasure to meet you! Your outfit is so lovely.  Did you make it yourself? It’s beautiful.” As I stood there frozen, unable to speak, he reaches out his hand and says, “Thank you so much for coming. It was so nice to see you.” 

Zachary Levi changed my perspective on celebrities that day.  He not only changed my view but how I also saw myself. Am I pleased to meet? Yes, of course, I am.  I have self-worth.  I may not star in movies and TV shows but still headed to greatness. Are you headed to fame? I believe I heard you say yes.  Well, in that case, YOU, too, are a pleasure to meet. *Whispers* We can be just as amazing as these people we admire. 

I am fearfully and wonderfully made….

Battles with low self-worth

I have had my battles with low self-worth and putting others on pedestals. It’s a habit that has recently been bothering me and led to the inspiration to write this post.  I know I’m not the only one who hasn’t always believed in being awesome. I’m not entirely sure what has caused the shift in me feeling self-worth, but I welcome it wholeheartedly.  

I speak of my journey to self-confidence in Building Self-Confidence after stumbling in heels. It has been a lifelong battle, and I’m sure it’s not over. But I always want to make strides to believe in myself, and not waver in my convictions just because someone else sees me differently.  Some people will still see me as being beneath them. I’m not the smartest, and I’m not the prettiest, but I have something to offer this world. You do too. I am unique.  No, I’m not perfect and I make mistakes, and I have a long way to go in life. But I am still special and deserve your respect and for you to take notice.  I have my big girl panties on, and I’m not here to play. 

Leveled Up Self -Worth Status

Here are some things that I did to change my perspective lately. There’s been this record playing in my head for years. This song that was holding me back and making me stagnant. Just stick to what you know.  You are going to fail. Why even bother trying? You won’t be accepted. They probably won’t like it. This song caused me to play it safe. At first, I turned it down; then eventually, I was able to change the station.  This is my journey to self-worth.

Silencing that Inner Critic

Silencing the inner critic is not easy to do.  Unfortunately, I can’t use the past tense on this step, either.  It is still a work in progress for me. That inner critic has been building and getting louder since childhood. The saying you are your own worst enemy. It is so true.  It might be difficult at times, but start treating yourself like you would a friend. I don’t know about you, but my friends are my cheerleaders. I need people in my life that are going to help push me and encourage me to reach my full potential.  If I’m kinder to myself, I will think more, Shana; you got this girl instead of Shana, what the hell are you doing. 

Surround yourself with those who believe in you

As mentioned before, my friends are my cheerleaders.  That has not always been the case. I realized a few years ago; my circle was slowly killing me. I felt like I was suffocating.  I was there to serve them only. The times I attempted to branch out and do things for myself, I met negativity. I might have started writing a lot sooner if it wasn’t for that, but everything happens for a reason. I know better now.  I also appreciate who I do have in my corner so much more because of what I left behind.  

The beautiful thing is my current friends are trying to make amazing things happen for themselves too.  I get to support them as they help me. All of that pushing, dreaming and achieving, I can hardly wait for the exponential growth that’s coming soon. I feel it deep down in my soul, the core of my being. I’m just so excited. Our dreams are coming to fruition. 

Not to get completely off topic but saying our dreams are coming to fruition is an affirmation. An affirmation is a way of speaking things into existence.  The more you say it, the more you believe it, the more your life becomes in line to receive it. There is power in the tongue. Start speaking these affirmations daily.  You can make your own or find some online. Regardless of how silly you may think this sounds, give it a try before you knock the process. Affirmations will genuinely help that negative self-talk that has developed throughout the years.  

Our lovely Pragati recently said, “you will always need to train your mind to focus on things that are important and on your priority list.”

Learn how to handle rejection 

As you can imagine, this was a severe change for me.  I decided the beginning of this year that I would take writing seriously. I sent multiple short stories and poems out to publishers.  However, I did take the time beforehand to decide what I would do if no one liked them. It’s always a possibility that this can happen.  

You must decide if the rejection is going to stop you. I’m hoping that you don’t let it stop you.   Each denial has made me better. I’m accepting rejection more graciously every day.

The “Why Not” Approach 

Being able to handle rejection better has also led to a new outlook on life.  I call my ideology, then why not approach. If I have an idea about something, I try it out and see what happens.  If it fails, at least I know now and can move on as opposed to wondering what if. I have failed a lot already, but those victories are so much sweeter when they come. Continually working towards better and continuously learning are great ways to increase your self-confidence and your self-worth. 

 Call to Action

So now that you have some tools and motivation to increase your self worth will you join me in becoming more confident versions of ourselves? I know you want to. Pragati’s blog, as well as my own, is full of information to help build you up and encourage you to go higher. Just hit that subscribe button here and then head over to my blog and do the same. You will not regret the decision. Let us grow together and build. You do have self-worth!