“Some are destined to succeed, some are determined to succeed.”

“Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak”   

"Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough."   

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination.”

"Oh, mister, wait until you see what I'm gonna be"

"taking no chances means wasting your dreams."

“Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination.”

“In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport. You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept destructive criticism. Without 100% dedication, you won't be able to do this.”

“Success for an athlete follows many years of hard work and dedication."

"I need to be dazzling, I want to be Rainbow High"

“The most essential factor is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.”

“God is with those who persevere”

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity."

“I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen”

"An excuse is simply an obstacle you choose not to overcome."

 

"Champions are made from something they have deep inside them a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill."

Yeah, I'm posting twice in one day, but I felt it needed to be done. I'm gonna be daring today. Tonight I was talking with a friend who is VERY important to me, and he was saying how he didn't feel good enough, and insecure. I started naming some of my insecurities and things I'm self-conscious about in an attempt to show him he's not the only one, and in under 2 minutes I'd listed over 20 things. So now I'm going to be bold, and I'm going to trust you (whoever you are) with my top 6 insecurities. I'm just like everyone else, I'm flawed, I'm imperfect, I'm insecure, I'm self-conscious, I'm a normal teenage girl. So here we go;

  1) I hate my legs. I think they're awful. This never bugged me until I started dancing again and my teacher always says how bent and deformed they are, and now I feel like everyone's going to look at my legs and think "what a freak".
  2) I am very embarrassed by how long my toes are and wide my feet are, mostly cause my mom exclaims at least three times a year "Oh my gosh, Rocky! Your toes are so long! look at those nasty things! hahahaha!"
   3) I think I annoy everyone. I think i'm too loud and like everyone thinks i'm fake because of my enthusiasm and level of energy and hyperness.
  4) I hate my fingernails because I can't keep them long, especially my left middle finger because the nail doesn't grow right cause i slammed it in a door when I was little.
  5)  I think my ears are too big because my dad always teased me that they are when I was little, so now I feel like they are even though I know they're really fine... I think?
  6) I have HORRIBLE handwriting which I find myself always apologizing to people for when I write anything and they see

Have at it, world! I'm not brave all the time, I dont think I'm perfect, and I see my flaws at least as much as everyone else does, probably more. But I'm telling you now, I'm not afraid of them. Those imperfections are part of what give me the drive and determination I have in life. I'm not controlled by my natural instincts; to hide in a shell until that one day when I magically pop out and am suddenly confident. No, that time will never come. There will always be something you wish you could change, or that you wish were different, and I'm not going to let that have any effect on my life. I'm letting you know I'm not scared of what the world thinks of me, and when I need that extra boost I just remember that everyone else is also feeling similarly about some characteristic of theirs.

This is why I'm not shy. I have no fear. My value is not in how I'm viewed or 'how I feel'. My value is in God, my 'flaws' make me who I am, and from here on out I'm not only going to live with them, I'm going to embrace them.

Quotes related to this topic;

How much will you indulge in your flaws? What are your flaws? Are they flaws?
    ~ "Girl, interrupted" 
Take my darkest fears and play them Like a lullaby
    ~ Evanescence, "All that I'm living for"
'Cause there's a stronger woman in me
    ~Jewel, "Stronger Woman" (didn't see that title coming, did you? =P )
Trying to be everything can make you lose your mind
    ~ Lady Antebellum "American Honey"
taking no chances means wasting your dreams.
    ~Ellen Hopkins, "Crank"
Am I really the way I percieve myself, or is the person others see the truth of me?
    ~Ellen Hopkins, "Tricks"
Have you ever seen me defeated? Don't you forget what I've been through and yet I'm still standing
    ~"Evita" 


~Rocky

P.S.
Even as I'm writing this, I bit my nails. Yeah, another insecurity that feeds into #4. Also, I highly recommend the song "Mirror" by Barlow Girl.