Things I wish I knew when I was an awkward teenager.

Puberty is hard. For some people, it is a breeze, while for others it feels like you are constantly walking naked among a group of very well-dressed people. I'm sorry, I could not think of any other way to describe it. Probably because I was most definitely a part of the latter group.

I wanted to take time to write about empowerment and confidence in honor of International Women's Day.

I have no shame in admitting, that I was very awkward in high school. I went to an all girls school and talking to boys along with many other things was a very uncomfortable experience.

Now that I think back, I wish there was someone who would have told me these things.

1. Don't worry about being cool in school

I was in  no way a star student. I was completely average. I was not great at talking to people, I was not anybody's favorite student, I wasn't even artistic or creative. I occasionally got into trouble. But you know what, its okay. You don't want to be someone who peaked in school anyway, because guess what? There is a whole life outside of school that is much more exciting. So, don't worry about being in the cool club. Just be kind, make some friends and if you are one of the cool kids, then make another awkward kid feel involved, because being nice never gets out of style.  

2. Boys are just as awkward 

Try not to piss your pants when talking to boys, they are feeling just as awkward. They are going through puberty too and nothing that you say or do right now will have life changing impacts. So, don't sweat it.

3. Be Confident. Fake it till you make it.

This is something that I learnt way later in life. Confidence is everything. Nobody truly cares what you look like or even what you say for that matter as long as you say it with confidence. I can say with personal experience that is this undoubtedly true. If you don't feel it, just fake it. It works like charm.If you fake it long enough, you will start believing it yourself. 

4. Stop Hating on Other Girls.

Don't lie to yourself. We all do this. I don't know if there is a weird wiring in the female brain or something, but why do girls hate on each other? I mean seriously, pardon my french but what the f**k is wrong is with us? Why can't we develop majestic ever lasting friendships, stop the bitchiness and just be nice?

I am admitting to this, because its the first step towards solving the problem.  I used to hate on other girls and I still do it sometimes. Is it a force of habit, or do we somehow try to feel better about ourselves by putting others down? On this glorious day, let's vouch to support each other and stop putting our fellow females down. It ends now. 

I am not perfect, but I sure have come a long way. So forgive yourself, be confident, be kind and empower yourself and other women around you. 

Happy Women's Day

Luck and Love,

Niki <3