It gets overwhelming when you’re unhappy with almost every aspect of your life, macaroons. Sometimes life sticks you in the waiting room & all you can do is thumb through a magazine while the frustration mounts. Unfortunately, this economy has put many of us in less than awesome [...]]]>

Now helping yourself. Paging number you!

It gets overwhelming when you’re unhappy with almost every aspect of your life, macaroons. Sometimes life sticks you in the waiting room & all you can do is thumb through a magazine while the frustration mounts. Unfortunately, this economy has put many of us in less than awesome situations whether you’ve had to take a job you’re highly overqualified for or you’re unable to find a job altogether with your shiny new degree.  What are you doing when all you can do is wait?

Remove all things negative from your life! If you have a friend who does nothing but create drama & stress, it’s time to cut her loose. Why drag out any unhealthy relationship? Don’t justify staying in a relationship that’s anything less than happy & fulfilling. Waiting for things to change or a better situation only adds weight to your current situation- the one you’re trying to get out of, remember?

Work on the one thing you can always change: Yourself! Start here & the rest will come. Build your confidence & you will shine on job interviews or during a big presentation. Start cooking meals at home. You will save money. Cooking makes it easier to eat healthier & if you start an exercise program (Comcast offers some workout options OnDemand or everything I use at Boot Camp (resistance bands, Bosu balls, medicine balls & free weights) can be found at FiveBelow! Improve your body image & your whole outlook can change.

Smooth seas don't come easy

Isolate one problem & work on finding solutions. From unemployment to living with your parents to crappy jobs that work you like an animal for pennies or poor relationships…you’ll get buried if you try to tackle them all at once. Pick one, outline possible solutions & put a plan into action.

Never stop looking forward. If you’re slicing your way through the job hunt jungle, apply for everything remotely relevant. You never know! Tailor your resume to every job opening. A great method is to make a basic resume on jobspice.com & save it. Then add or remove skills, references, publications, etc as relevant. A lot of job sites mess up the formatting of your resume.doc, but jobspice lets you download a pdf version that holds its formatting & looks alive & professional!

Move one day at a time, macaroons. Don’t forget how far you’ve come & how much you’ve achieved. There’s still a long way to go & much more to gain. Keep plugging away. As Conan O’Brien said, “work hard & be kind; amazing things will happen.”

Believe it.

This is something I know a lot about. I grew up with my self-esteem balloon depressingly deflated (5th grade demo, anyone?). I decided I needed to make my own helium tank and keep my balloons full in every area of life, no matter what. [...]]]> The first step to living like a rockstar is feeling like one.

This is something I know a lot about. I grew up with my self-esteem balloon depressingly deflated (5^th grade demo, anyone?). I decided I needed to make my own helium tank and keep my balloons full in every area of life, no matter what. Here is my Guide to Rockstar Confidence!

photo by Dom Ungaro

#1 The Golden Rule- Remember the best compliment you’ve ever received? That’s your new mantra! My beloved recently said to me: “You are the Excalibur of females.” Every day when I look in the mirror, I let that quote play itself over in my mind (Feel free to use that line for your mantra! It is a pretty kick ass compliment!). It’s hard to look in the mirror and not immediately zoom in on your flaws, imperfections or insecurities, but if you can train yourself to focus on the positive first, the negatives will pale to your awesomeness.

#2 The Clothes Make the Woman- Find at least one piece of clothing that flatters your figure, no matter the price tag. It’s worth the money. There is nothing hotter than a chick who looks classy, comfortable and knows how to rock her figure. I made a miraculous discovery yesterday at Express. Two girl friends and I tried on the same shirt. We came out of the dressing room and it was like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Plaid! Clearly, these shirts are magical. Our three completely different body types (ranging from tiny to large all over) look absolutely killer in these shirts.

They carry an array of colors, including solids!

I wear a 34D, which means everything hangs off my boobs like a maternity dress and I look dismaying. This shirt finally displayed my battleaxe body and minimizes the boobage while maintaining a respectable amount of cleav! Not trashy cleav, work cleav. Teaser trailer cleav, if you will. Plus, I fit into a Small perfectly, which is just unheard of with boobs like these. Magic!

#3 Accept your Inner Weirdo! Hell, Play it Up! 92% of the time, some stupidly strange impulse comment or gesture I make inspires tears of laughter from those around me. Sometimes I say something weird that falls flat, no one gets it and my different drummer marches on. Take that chance to be the life of the party. Yes, you will put your foot right in your mouth on numerous occasions, but chances are no one will remember that. They will remember that you are funny, refreshingly silly, and maybe a little offbeat (which is a GOOD thing!).

#4 Flirt! What’s he gonna do? Turn you down? You were too good for him anyway!

#5 Step Outside Your Comfort Zone- Way outside! There’s no bigger boost to your ego and confidence than learning something new and awesome about yourself or tackling something you never thought you could do. I’m a total indoor cat- not athletic at all (I can hardly walk without bumping into things)- so a few years ago I signed up for a Kayaking/Camping course in the spidery Florida Everglades. I paddled for 6-8 hours a day for 5 days! ME! I never thought my body was capable of such power and strength. That little step outside my zone kick-started a weight loss of 50 lbs and an appetite for trying things I don’t think I’ll like. Take a class. Join a roller derby team. Pick up a sport. Sing on stage at a karaoke bar. Try some new ethnic cuisine. Pick up a few foreign flicks. The more you know about the world, the more you’ll discover about yourself and the more confidence you will build through knowledge and exploration!