Channel Your Inner 7-Year-Old

If only we saw ourselves the way a confident 7-year-old does.  

The other day, I got all dressed up for the first time in a bit, something that hasn’t happened much lately. Life has been hectic with a recent move, my work-from-home job and evenings with my kids, so comfy clothes and wild hair have become the norm. But that day I had dinner plans and took the opportunity to get dressed up and feel pretty.

My 7-year-old daughter noticed right away.  

She looked at me and said,  

“Mom, you should take a picture. You look slay.”  

(She recently picked up that phrase from her slightly older little bestie, and I think she’s been waiting for the perfect moment to use it.)  

And without hesitation, she added,  

“Can I be in it? I look good too.”

Her word choice had me busting up, but it actually hit me harder than I expected. She was so quick to recognize that she looked good, too. When was the last time I readily complimented myself like that?

Somewhere along the way, we learned that confidence equals conceit.  

We stop looking in the mirror and thinking, “I look slay.”  

We forget to pause and honor how far we’ve come, how much we do, and how absolutely stunning we are in spirit and strength, in sweatpants or lipstick. But even more important than outer beauty (which is okay to celebrate, by the way) is this: we need to give thanks for the miracle of our bodies…how they’ve carried us through joy, heartbreak, and healing.

So here’s your reminder:  

Take the picture.  

Say the kind thing to yourself.  

Hype yourself up like your inner 7-year-old would.

Because you do look slay.