“The short chubby kid, kind of dark skinned…always smiling for no reason. You know who I’m talking about!”

Have you ever wondered how people would describe you? Like what are your most acclaimed attributes? I always thought people described me as just that, “the short chubby kid…” Growing up, I was always a little chubby (pleasantly plump lol), so I was insecure about my weight. Up until about sophomore year in high school I was a 5’4, husky, yet fresh, little guy. This insecurity definitely impacted my sociability. I was shy beyond belief, I would start blushing if a girl said as much as “God bless you” to me after a sneeze; I was pitiful.

Insecurities can really handicap a person, it refrain’s you from being yourself, constantly trying to cover up and hide the emphasized fallacies. I feel like I missed out on a lot being so shy; old crushes that I couldn’t approach, who knows what could’ve happened?! I could’ve missed out on my wife for Pete’s sake!! (That’s a big reach but bear with me, trying to make this entertaining) Since then, I’ve reconnected with old classmates and to my surprise; they would confess their old feelings for me. That shows me that my insecurity was in my head. Seriously though, I look at old pictures of myself and I looked nothing like how I perceived back then.

Bottom line, insecurities are nothing but self-inflicted boundaries that limit us from living our lives to the fullest. Insecurities occur when you let your perception skew what’s really looking back at you in the mirror. I am my hardest critic, and you’re your hardest critic, so cut yourself some slack.

In regards to your insecurities, a wise man once said (Jay-Z): “Cry me a river, build a bridge and GET OVER IT!”…I did…