For many years I struggled with crippling fear, specifically in social situations. I was constantly caring about what others thought of me, obsessed with others’ perception of how I looked, what I said, and who I was. Social anxiety was a prison and a stronghold over my life. Maybe you don’t have something as severe as social anxiety, but you’ve noticed that you care a little too much about what others may think of you, or you tend to base most of your decisions on the approval of others. Has this fear of man caused you to become a bit of a recluse? Slinking into the shadows to avoid the spotlight for fear of being judged? Or maybe it has the opposite effect and has caused you to become a people-pleaser, perpetually trying to make everyone happy and molding yourself into what everyone else wants you to be.

I wanted to be like her. Her being the woman who had confidence in who she was, and when she spoke, all I could hear were her unspoken words, "I am free from my insecurities."