I AM 150% selfie-takin', hair-flippin', flossy, FIERCE and absolutely feelin' myself....

There's something to be said about having and acquiring CONFIDENCE. That is my absolute most favorite part about my job-- I get to be a small part of someone else's journey to being a more confident person!!! How awesome is that?! That is what revs my engine and TURNS ME RIGHT ON about working in the beauty industry. It gives me another positive thing and purpose to wake up to each and every day-- my driving force... making people feel good. And hott... with 2 T's.

Another thing about confidence-- it's not necessarily unwavering. This one is a really tough one for me. I beat myself up CONSTANTLY-- and way too many of us do. The unrealistic, giant, spiraling upward staircase to perfection is overwhelming and sometimes even paralyzing. Sometimes its hard to know where to even begin.

I started out by writing in my little red book. It was given to me in the first month of cosmetology school by a fellow student who was much younger than me. 10 years younger than me. On the first page of the book in colorful markers she wrote, "Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later." On the very last page of the book she wrote, "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream!" Bless her heart for including the word "old" into an inspirational quote dedicated to me. Had it been from someone else, I may have considered the possibility of it being a slight jab but to know her was to know that her genuine, naive, sweet little self meant it from the bottom of her young, new heart.

I didn't write in that book until 11 months later, when I graduated the program. I wrote down all of my long term goals each goal followed by a list of short term goals to attain it. What I still to this day can't wrap my head around is the fact that every single goal I've ever written down in that journal has been achieved. This book seems straight up enchanted to me. I hope that by now finally sharing that information and saying it out loud, I haven't jinxed myself!!!!! Ay!!

Or MAYBE it's just the power of making a promise to yourself and WRITING IT DOWN. Sure, we all have an idea in our heads of what goals we have in life... hell, we have even cut up some old magazines and story-boarded some. However, there is a strong sense of direction when you write those goals down in black and white and in plain language, write down the small steps to take to get there, and check those mini goals off that list. I would lose track of this red little book for several months at a time and some subconscious internal clock would tell me to stubble upon it, pick it up, read it and review it.

And when you happen to do this on a day when you thought you were doing terribly, it is the most gratifying thing in the world to be completely surprised that you've looked back and realized you can check another thing off the list. And before you know it a year goes by and many of your long term goals are met, some years in advance than what you had imagined it would take to achieve them.

Know what's better? The beauty about achieving a long term goal is that it CREATES AN ENTIRELY NEW ONE. It gives you something to look forward to as well as providing you with a roadmap to your next destination. Final destination being death people, not to be too morbid but like come on, let's try to make the trip there full well rounded and interesting-- take risks and take the road less travelled-- it all ends the same way. Might as well be fun, fierce, and fabulous! DUH!

Have you ever met or known someone with unwavering confidence and strength, regardless of the challenges they face in life i.e. haters hatin', bouts of bad luck, lack of support system, illness, etc?? How did you witness them get their power back or as one of my salon owners Emy puts it, how did they keep their "chin up and tits out"?!

So please tell me what are some things you like to do to give yourself a confidence boost? Do you write about your goals too?? Do you schedule regular appointments to visit your hairstylist? Do you take a holistic approach and take time to mediate or do yoga? Are you a sweat-a-holic and get that boost with a good run or high intensity workout? How often would you say you do something to make you more confident--- daily, weekly, once per month, or within a year? Compare the way you feel when you commit and make the time to do those things for yourself, versus the times you don't. Do you feel like it's just simply not frequently enough? Something to consider: Maybe its about that time to sharpen your pencils or actually USE A PEN-- NOW THATS COMMITMENT--- and make the contract of promises to ourselves.

Please PLEASE PLEASE-- share your thoughts with me on this! I struggle like a hungry little baby bird when it comes to confidence and any new thing I can learn helps such a great deal! Not to mention, on an unselfish note: it can totally help someone else in the process!!!!!