Guest Post with Bethany Lopez (Confidence... it will come!)

Confidence… it will come!

Hello! I am Bethany Lopez, and I write a Contemporary Young Adult Series called Stories about Melissa. The first book Ta Ta for Now! is available now, and the second book, xoxoxo, will be released on March 2nd.

I did not always believe that I would be able to make that statement. Yes, I have always loved to write, and English was my favorite subject in school, but my self-confidence was not always there.

I was the quiet girl in school, at least to the majority of students… the people that did not know me. To my friends, however, I was loud, crazy, and always making them laugh. It took a lot for me to be able to open up to others. I moved around a lot growing up and was constantly having to make new friends. I was very aware of being the new girl, or the odd one out, and that had a lot to do with the way I presented myself to others. I had a huge fear of rejection, and that played a big part in my disbelief that I could ever be an Author.

When I was in high school, I loved getting the opportunity to write for my classes. I tried writing a few stories, and still have them in the garage, but I never believed they were good enough. I would write a story for a while, but eventually would just give up. It took years before I started to build confidence. As I started to meet more of my personal and professional goals, like earning my first Associates Degree, raising kids, and getting promoted at work, my confidence began to build. As I began to mature, I started to approach every new person I met as if we were already friends. It helped me to be myself from the first meeting and break the ice.

Being self-confident doesn’t mean that I don’t still get my feelings hurt, that is just part of life, but I am better able to overcome those feelings and focus on the positive.

The point that I want to make is that no matter how hard things seem… they will always get better. Other people’s opinions can hurt, but the only opinions that matter are those of the people that know you and love you for who you are!