Kandee is seeping into my psyche...

I have recently been following makeup artist Kandee Johnson's blog. If you have never heard of her, you simply HAVE to look her up. There is nothing like an incredibly perky, talented woman to inspire you. I will admit that, prior to finding that source of positivity, I was swimming in a sea of negatives. I have always been a bit of a cynical person. I am now determined to change that.

Lets consider for a moment the amount of pressure on your average person. They are hassled about what job they have, how much money they make, what car they drive and how great they look. I recently attended my ten-year reunion and discovered how much of it is actually just to exhange stories on how awesome you have become since high school. I think it's hilarious how so many people consider your teenage self something that you have to overcome. But this overwhelming pressure from society bears down on you and you are left with very little self-esteem or self-worth.

Face it, a good portion of the people you know could not care if you have either of those things.

But it's not a reason to start looking at yourself like you should be ashamed. Find ONE thing out of every day to be proud of. Just one. After a while, you'll notice that it's getting harder to see the negatives.

I work at a cosmetics counter. So what? I enjoy my job. Yes, it's retail so there are going to be numerous days where I come home with mass murder on my mind. The holiday season is coming up, so be prepared to hear about that. But I get paid to play in makeup all day. How badass is that? I don't have to do mounds of paperwork, lift heavy equipment, listen to other people whine about their childhood or wipe an old person's wrinkly backside. Instead, I have the rare opportunity to do a makeover on someone and see their face light up when they catch a glimpse of themselves in the mirror.

Making someone else feel beautiful, even if it may seem superficial to other people, is a joy beyond my ability of expression.

Where was I going with this? Who knows... it's a first post to a hopefully long-lived blog. I can make sense some other time. It's a Monday, after all.

Be proud of yourself. Take a moment to acknowledge something that you have to offer. And, when other people tell you that you aren't good enough or get condescending... shrug it off. At the end of the day, you are the only one whose opinion matters.