We are three weeks into the new year and I have been trying to figure out what I truly wanted the theme of 2022 to be. This morning, I realized I had already been living it for these three weeks. 2022 is the year of confidence. I am not dimming my light for anyone or any situation. I am owning who I am and what I want out of life and moving through the world in a way that serves me.
What does confidence look like for you? Let's talk about the definitions (via Oxford Languages):
"the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust."
"the state of feeling certain about the truth of something."
"a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities."
Definition one talks about confidence in a person or thing, trust. Maybe you are wanting to trust the people in your life, trust the universe is guiding you in the right direction, trust the decision you've made.
Definition two talks about confidence in an idea. The belief that something is correct. Maybe you want to be more sure in your beliefs and morals this year.
Definition three talks about self-confidence. The belief in yourself and your gifts and that you are on the right path. Maybe you are trying to believe in yourself more this year, or to stand out more and not let self-doubt interfere with your truest self.
No matter which of these definitions is the confidence you feel like you need to focus on, I think we all could use more confidence in our lives. Here are some of the things that I am focusing on to make this the year of confidence!
First, and probably most important, I have got to stop diminishing my accomplishments. 2022 is also the TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY of StyledByKaylaXO. That's right. I've been sharing my world with the internet for about nine and a half years. In those nine plus years, I have reached thousands of people around the world with my content, and though that content has changed and adapted and expanded, it has always been authentically me and THAT is something to be proud of.
The other day I had someone comment on a promoted post I had on Instagram questioning why this ad that was "just" me smiling (clearly didn't read the caption, but that's fine) had appeared on her feed. The old Kayla would've just ignored it or deleted it and moved on and probably wondered if she was right. But not 2022 confident Kayla. I owned the fact that using promoted posts with captions like the one she saw was a way for me to grow my brand just like any other company would. I acknowledged that my content may not be for her, but that is okay, she could've just scrolled past and kept doing her thing and I'm gonna keep doing mine. She blocked me. But who cares? One person on Instagram is not going to derail my progress or stop me from doing the work that I am proud of.
This year, my goal is to stop hiding this side of my life when I'm in the real world. I am a vlogger, blogger, podcast host, INFLUENCER (even though I f'in hate that word) and I'm damn proud. This is just as much a job to me as my day job and it's time I start treating it with as much respect and as much weight in my life.
What is something you are proud of that you've been diminishing? Why do you think you've let yourself do that? I know for me it's because I haven't been as successful as others at what I do, so clearly it's not something to be proud of. But that is a load of crap. Be proud. Be loud about how proud you are, and don't diminish your accomplishments just because people may not understand or someone has done "better."
My next step to making this the year of confidence has to do with self-talk. No matter how confident and bold and positive I may appear on social media, I'm still human. I still have insecurities and I can still be incredibly hard on myself. At the end of 2021 I was really really down on myself. I was feeling pretty disconnected and I let it get to my head. It wasn't a great time. This year I've got to focus on positive self-talk and affirmations. In May, I did a post all about my favorite affirmations for confidence, and those are what I am going to start with this year.
I know it is incredibly easy to be your own harshest critic, but it is so important to try and focus on being your own biggest fan above that.
What does the year of confidence mean to you? Let me know using the hashtag #UnapologeticallyMeXO on Instagram or Twitter!
xo,
Kayla
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