You probably have a friend, or maybe you are THE friend who has self-esteem issues. Confidence just isn’t their thing. They are tentative about life, question their actions OR inactions and are just always unsure if they are good enough. I am here to tell you that they are good enough, just the way they are, uncertainties and all! As adults, life isn’t easy for most of us and coping is difficult. You have no idea what has happened to them in the past or is happening to them now to make them feel insecure. Avoid judgment.
It is difficult for those of us with an abundance of confidence to understand some insecurities but that really isn’t our place. Our place is to reassure, try to help them shine and actually give a crap care about their feelings. Let them know that NO MATTER WHAT……. they are:
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Strong Enough
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Tall Enough
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Smart Enough
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Thin Enough
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Pretty Enough
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Fast Enough
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Good Enough
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Tough Enough
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Witty Enough
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ENOUGH
to tackle anything they do so desire. This is part of your responsiblity to humankind. Help people step up, don’t knock them down to try to better yourself or feel better about yourself because it just doesn’t work like that. Karma will bite you in the ass for all of those little “nasties” which you think that nobody knows about. Karma knows. God knows. Do the right thing. Help somebody up rather than pushing them down. Avoid pettiness and selfishness and you will be better for it in the end.
Go now and tell somebody, or look in the mirror and tell yourself, that they/you are Strong Enough and Good Enough just the way they/you are today, now, right here in this moment. Nobody is perfect but own the fact that you are enough.
“I AM BEAUTIFUL” logo above trademarked by: Shaffer, Emily A.
I AM ENOUGH, YOU ARE ENOUGH! Amanda – TooTallFritz
TooTallFritz 
For a lot of us, self-esteem issues go back to our past. If we had someone telling us we weren’t good enough – or even just not giving us encouragement, we start to think we’re not “enough”. Sometimes it goes back to our parents, sometimes to bad past romantic relationships. Society doesn’t help. Women especially are constantly given the message that we have to have an education, successful career, perfect family AND look amazing while doing it all. Men don’t often feel this pressure. When was the last time you heard a guy worrying about balancing work and family? I’m not trying to say self-esteem is a female-only issue. It’s just harder when you’re bombarded with (Photoshopped!) images of how you’re supposed to look WHILE accomplishing all these amazing feats!
I am reading a great book “Running with God ” By Berry Simpson. The last chapter I read was about courage and self confidence. A friend asks the author, “Why do you run if your never going to win” The author tells his friend that he doesn’t know why except to say “that I was a better man for racing.” Then the author goes on to look at his whole life and wonders if “feelings of inadequacy become your excuse for not taking the opportunities God gives you. Well, yes. Often. Because I think I am unqualified, or not cool enough, or not smart enough, I assume a particular opportunity is not for me, so I stand on the side and watch all the other guys cross the finish line, afraid to enter the race myself.” What do we gain from standing on the sidelines?
Revelation 3:8 says that God, who knows me well , will open doors for me in spite of my lack of strength. That’s good news that helps me be more brave. It gives me courage to enter.
Well written, Amanda! And what a joy it has been to find friends in the running community that thrive on lifting up the spirits of their group mates. I have found my running friends to be the most optimistic, kind, encouraging people that I’ve ever met. Sometimes it’s not about the number at the end of the finish line — it’s about the quality of your conduct along the way! (although it is nice to see a fast number at the finish line every once in a while!)
I agree, the running community is truly very friendly, supportive, encouraging, etc. It’s so refreshing and I am SOOOOO glad I have met so many awesome people on my running journey!!
I’m gonna just chime on in here too. 🙂 Isn’t it incredible how other runners just “get” you? I don’t know where I’d be today without my runners!
Nice….way to be!
It’s like you knew i was going to by sassy to people today.
Thank you Amanda and Robyne!!! Everything you have said is sooo helpful right now. When having a not so good week and it was like this is just what I needed to hear!! And YES the running community are always such an encourageing group of people, my running friends are more family than family is. We just get each other….Thank you both for those wonderful words!!
Fantastic post! Yesterday I ran 13 miles with a friend who is training for her first half marathon. She has been struggling because she doesn’t believe she can do it. She runs 3 minutes, then walks 1 minute and has consistently bails on her plan around 9 miles. Yesterday we went out together and she did it!! I wish I had a picture of her face to share. The look on her face when she got to the end was priceless. She was so happy. And so proud. And she knows she is ready for her race now.
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