Confidence: How to Be Big and Beautiful at the Same Time

I once published a blog post titled "The Moment When I Became Sick of My Body". Thankfully, since that moment, my feelings toward myself have changed monumentally.

Over the past year or so, I've learned how to gain self confidence and I feel much better about myself these days, because I realize that even though I'm heavier than I've ever been, I'm also prettier than I've ever been. These days I enjoy walking down the street and turning heads, even at 235lbs. Of course at the same time I know that I'm not any where near healthy and that I'll feel far better about myself once I've found some weight loss motivation.

I may be 100+lbs overweight, but when people first see me, this is rarely the first thing they notice. I know this because when I walk into a room of people, most of the time several of them will turn to watch me walk in. While these people are looking at me they do not look disgusted; instead the look interested.

So why isn't my weight the first thing people notice? Because I want them to notice something else about me. At any given moment, I may want people to notice any number of things about the way I look. It could be anything from my hair to way I walk, and whatever I want them to see; they see.

When I'm walking down the street passing people by, I'm not concentrating on how overweight I may or may not look. I'm concentrating on how I feel about what makes me look good; the things that help increase my self esteem. I bounce my hair, I stand up straight, and take sure, confident steps. If something goes wrong, like tripping over my own feet, I laugh it off, straighten back up and continue walking.

I NEVER avoid eye contact with the people around me. That would portray the exact opposite of confidence.

I wear clothes that fit properly, no matter what size I'm at. Big girls like me need to realize that baggy clothes just make us look bigger and send the message that we are ashamed of our bodies. On the other hand, clothes that are too tight outline every extra pound. Clothing that is fitted correctly should flatter, not hide or overexpose.

I keep a positive and realistic attitude toward myself and do my best to portray it to my best advantage. Some of my friends have thought in the past that these things I do happen without my thinking about them, but in fact, I know exactly what I'm doing. Once this behavior had become practiced, it became second nature, and I now find myself acting and thinking confidently far more naturally than ever before. Just like when following health tips, eventually it becomes second nature.

Of course there are times when I don't feel great about myself or the way I look, but only my closest friends and the readers of this article will ever know that. To most people I meet, I am a pretty, confident young woman.

When I think and act confident without acting arrogant, others pick up on it and usually accept it as fact. And I have to say, when I pass by a cute guy who smiles straight at me instead of the thin girl with a pretty face passing by him at the same time, it feels pretty damn good.

To sum up, here are a few things to do to make sure you are being your personal best

Make eye-contact
Smile (usually, you'll get a smile back =)
Stand up straight, no slouching!
Always walk as if you know exactly where you're going, even when you don't
Wear clothes that fit properly
Decide what you like most about the way you look, and concentrate on it.

And most importantly, do something everyday that makes you feel happy and beautiful. Other people will wind up seeing that same beauty.