Confidence

A friend asked me if I had issues with self esteem. She asked me because she has a tape playing in her head telling her that she's not good enough and will never be worth it. I stopped listening to those tapes long ago. It's not that I'm oblivious to what outer influences are pushing on me. It's just that I never let that bullshit get to me. If I started to doubt myself I would shut it down until the tapes no longer affected me. I've been doing this since middle school. I think before that, I just didn't think about it. In elementary school, the pressure to be this and that wasn't as demanding although, even in elementary school, I was an odd duck. Sports helped too with confidence. I was always naturally good and knew, that even as a female, I would get praised for my athleticism. That, combined with my ability to laugh at many situations, saved me from tapes by overpowering them.
So when the tapes are going, press stop, rewind and re-record. Easier said than done. Especially when they're working overtime.