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Embracing confidence
 This is a guest post from Celine Urrang Gjersvik (@urrang on PumpUp and Instagram). She has her own blog about her personal health and fitness journey, written in both Norwegian and English.

If there is something many of us need to improve upon, it’s self confidence. It’s difficult to be comfortable in our own skin, but let me say this:  You are beautiful. It is sometimes difficult to see it for yourself (believe me, I’m struggling too), but try to tell yourself this every day: stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself that you are sexy, you’re smart, you’re beautiful! At first, it may feel strange, but later I promise you that you start to believe it.

The phrase fake it ‘til you make it gets tossed around sometimes, but this can be very true. Feel that you have confidence, and you’ll start to believe it. Ask yourself what makes you feel good! Perhaps it’s going for walks, listening to music, exercising, being with friends, standing in the kitchen, eating, reading, watching a movie, etc. The list is long, but find out what makes you feel special and do these things every week.

For my part, I get confidence by making others happy, by motivating others and by achieving goals. I become proud of myself for being able to do an extra pull up, or for being able to lift a heavier weight than I was aware that I could. I get happy by testing my limits, both physically and mentally. I become confident to wear clothes that accentuate the parts of my body I take pride in. The list goes on: using a little makeup and a little extra eyeliner to accentuate those gorgeous eyes I think I have, and listening to music I like and that makes me feel good. There are so many avenues to boost your confidence if you just learn to look for it. Highlight what you like about yourself and confidence will follow. Find the little things that lift you up and take advantage of it.

Go in front of the mirror and find three things you like about yourself. Disregard everything you do not like, find the three things you like about yourself, the reason for why you are unique!

I can start: I like my eyes (because they can change color and varies almost from day to day, which I find incredibly fascinating). I like my butt and I like my freckles. There is so much in store for my future.

What gives you confidence and what are your three things?

Celine Urrang Gjersvik runs her own blog (written in Norwegian and English) about her personal journey through training, health, and fitness. Follow her on PumpUp and Instagram @urrang