Gaining Something Important by: Liv Canova

January is the month of change, for me more than most people. New Years is usually the excuse for people to make changes to themselves or their life, but I have an added opportunity: my birthday. And today, the day after my birthday, I decided that I would use it as another chance to try and improve myself. And I know that you're thinking that this has absolutely nothing to do with 'what's important to me', but gaining this specific trait is what's important. I want to be confident. For as far back as I can remember, I've had a really low level of confidence. When I was younger it was usually just hating the way I looked or talked, but during 8th grade, I started spending time with a person who seemed better than me in everything I did, and that really made my self-confidence plummet. I would obsess over how to seem more like that person and it was horribly unhealthy. And while I love theatre and singing, they're highly competitive activities and when you don't get a part or get into a choir, it can feel like you have no talent at all, especially when your friends achieve those heights. But as a new 16-year-old, I've decided to forget about all the times when I've compared myself to other people, doubted myself, or beat myself up or made excuses for not getting the part that I wanted. I've decided to be more confident in myself and my abilities, whether that be talking to a person who I'm not really friends with, or being ok with anything casting directors and singing judges say, or just writing this blog post about how low my confidence used to be. So kids, the main point of this blog post is that striving to attain a new level of confidence is something that's important to me and something that I'll work to achieve.

Here are some fun inspirational photos to help all of you achieve your goals