If You Are Confident

Miss George, the principal

Early this month I was a speaker at a Christian school in central California.  During the week I was there, I stepped into the junior high girls' restroom (always an adventure; try it sometime), and spotted this scenario.  At first I thought the inscription read, "You are confident... You are beautiful."  It was only when I asked the principal to pose for this photo that I noticed the "if."

If you are confident, you are beautiful. Is that true? I think so. I can't think of a confident person I've met who isn't attractive.  I'm not talking about those over-confident sorts that seem oblivious to the grays in this world. That's just hubris, and it's not attractive.

You can't be confident without purpose and vision, or at least some guiding meaning in your life.  You can't be confident without a sense of self that is realistic, yet reasonably optimistic. There is something very attractive and winning about a woman who knows who she is, who is comfortable in her own skin, and lives with that sense of purpose, vision and meaning.

Kudos to Miss George, who practices what she preaches. More junior high girls should be confronted with this message... every time they step in front of a mirror.