“They only see this version of me…”

You know, it’s interesting looking back. 

This photograph was taken years ago. And if you’d told the woman in this picture that one day people would say, “But you seem so confident,” she would have laughed.

Because confident wasn’t how I saw myself.

I overthought everything. I worried about saying the wrong thing. I wondered whether I was good enough. Like so many people, I became very good at hiding what was going on inside.

The funny thing is, most of us only ever see the version of someone they’ve become.

We don’t see the years they spent doubting themselves.

We don’t see the conversations they rehearsed in their head… the opportunities they almost turned down… or the nights they lay awake wondering if they were enough.

Looking back at this photo now, I don’t feel sad for her.

I actually feel very proud of her.

Because she kept going, even when she didn’t believe in herself.

And maybe that’s what confidence really is.

Not never feeling afraid… but taking the next step anyway.

If you’ve ever looked at someone and thought, “I wish I had their confidence,” remember… you’re only seeing the chapter they’re in, not the whole story.

Shirley x