Struggling? You're Not the Only One!
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I know it’s easy to think you are the only one out there who struggles with self-acceptance, self-love, self-worth, and self-confidence. I know it’s easy to believe that others who look like they have it all together actually do have it all together. It’s easy to believe the girl you think is beautiful knows how beautiful she is and doesn't have any insecurities. It’s easy to believe the girl who you think is super confident doesn’t struggle with self-doubt. And it’s easy to believe the girl who you think is super successful doesn’t lack self-worth.
But the reality is, it doesn’t matter who you are, or who they are, we all struggle! I want you to know that you are not alone in feeling these things. And that’s why in this episode, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I struggle, too.
If you loved this episode, I know you'll also love:
Episode 19: Five Steps to Changing Your Story
In this episode of Embrace Your Real, I chat about the importance of changing your thoughts, in order to change your reality!
TRANSCRIPT:
Hey, hey, beautiful human. Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter. I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real, let's get it, let's go.
Hello and welcome back to the Embrace Your Real podcast. So grateful that you are here tuning in to another bonus episode. I know it's easy to think that you are the only one that struggles with self acceptance, self love, self worth, self confidence. I know it's easy to believe that others who look like they have it all together on social, actually have it all together. It's easy to believe that the girl you think is beautiful, knows she's beautiful and doesn't ever have any insecurities. It's easy to believe that the girl who you think is super confident, never struggles with self doubt or insecurities. It's easy to believe that the girl who you think is super successful, doesn't lack self worth.
But the reality is, it doesn't matter who you are or who they are, we all struggle. I want you to know that you are not alone in those feelings and in these things. And that is why in this episode, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I struggled too, girl. Before we dive into the episode, I want to read the review of the day. Alicia C 101 says, "The best. Julie feels like that uplifting best friend who gives you those motivating pep talks right when you need them. One of my favorite ways to start the morning."
Thank you so much, Alicia, for the review. If you haven't already rated and reviewed the podcast, it would mean the absolute world to me. All you got to do is click pause, scroll all the way down if you're on Apple podcast, you can click the five stars and send a little blip, like what you think about the podcast. I read every single one of them, my team reads every single one of them and we're just so grateful for you. So if you haven't already done that, please do that because that really helps in the podcast world.
All right, let's dive into the bonus episode. So yes, you heard it. I struggle too. I too have more bad days than good days. I too have weeks where I am struggling every single day. I'm struggling to be productive, I'm struggling to not get disappointed in myself, I'm struggling to not beat myself up. I'm struggling with only posting what I think people want to see versus what's actually going on in real life. I too struggle with body image. I have body image issues.
I remember the other day, I got these new pair of Jean shorts in the mail and I was super excited for them, for literally weeks I was waiting for them, and I put them on and I just instantly had one of those days where I was like, "Man, I just don't feel like they look as good as I thought they would." And I was frustrated. And then I had to tell myself in the mirror, literally, I've talked about this before, but I look myself in the eyes and I said, "Uh uh, you're not going to let that previous insecurity that held you back for a decade plus of your life, hold you back any longer. You have committed to wearing shorts during your workouts. You've committed to wearing shorts in public and not feeling insecure. So cut it out." And I just told myself, "You got to cut it out, girl. You work hard on these legs, they are strong. And that cellulite is a blessing." Yeah, I'm saying that cellulite is a blessing. My legs carry me. My legs do so much for me so who am I to tell my legs that they're ugly and then I need to cover them up and not show them out in public?
So if you needed that too, girl, you take that word and you run with it because I had so much in my life. I struggled with overexercising and under exercising and I too felt super intimidated to put myself out there. And I too had days where I felt just like an imposter, and I still have those days. Being completely 100 with you, I still have those days where I feel like an imposter. I feel like I'm not the best wife, the best friend, the best sister, the best daughter. And I guess what I'm trying to say is, I know what it's like to hate this human shell that you live in so much, that it leads you down this dark and depressing and lonely road. And unfortunately I lived in that place, like I said, for 10 plus years of my life, longer than I should have.
And if there's one piece of advice that I could share with you that has helped me the most, it's allow yourself the opportunity to feel what you're feeling, but choose not to stay there. You can't wait around for confidence to find you. You can't wait around for your self worth to show up. You cannot wait around for your self doubt to disappear. These are things that you need to actively choose to develop and grow. You have the opportunity to change, but the opportunity is 100% up to you. You have to actively change your internal story because your internal story isn't going to change on its own.
I've shared five steps to changing your story in episode 19, so I highly suggest listening to that episode if you haven't already. Go back and listen to it, if you need to again, but remember no one is 100% confident all the time. No one believes they're worthy 100% of the time and no one is doubt free 100% of the time. No matter how successful someone is or how well put together they may seem, we all have bad days. Everyone is just as human as you are, so don't think it's only you. The most confident, fit, successful women in the world feel the same things that you feel. Some of us decide to cover it up, some of us decide to be vulnerable and some of us feel what we are feeling and stay there, and some of us feel what we're feeling and do something about it. But we all feel it, right?
So I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes and that is, "Taking two steps forward and one step back does not mean that you failed, it means that you are learning. So fail fast so you can succeed sooner." Allow yourself the opportunity to feel what you're feeling, but choose not to stay there. I love you so much, thank you so much for tuning in to this week's bonus episode. If you have somebody in your life that could use this five minute pep-talk, click the share button on whatever platform you're using, post it up on your Instagram story, tag me, post it up on your Facebook, share it with a friend in a text message, whatever you need to do to get this word out to remind your sister that they are beautiful and they are not alone in their struggle. I love you, thank you so much for tuning in and I will talk to you guys in the next episode.
All right sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you're not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so, juliealedbetter. Yes, it's with an 'a' in the middle, for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple podcasts, to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real, because you're worth it.