Zoe McKey - Unbreakable Confidence: How To Think Confidently, Live Fearlessly, And Achieve Your Dreams - Be The Hero Of Your Story

As a kid, I was the consummate daddy's princess.

Possibly as a result of how poorly (some might say excellently) I was spoiled, I was outspoken and fearlessand with those traits came an air of utter and complete self-confidence. Thanks to this, my persuasive abilities evolved rapidly. I learned quickly that decisive action is much more efficient than hesitancy.

It was no different at school. Compared to an average seven or eight year old, I had a developed sense of self-awareness and I didn't know the word "impossible." This was evident to the outside world. I got the lead roles in my kindergarten plays, and all the kids wanted to be friends with me. In hindsight, I had that certain je ne sais quoi that others want to follow and that teachers eagerly rely on.

I have to emphasize that I have been extremely lucky. I never heard a discouraging word from my parents during my childhood or in my life since then. They always told me I could succeed in life and get everything I wanted if were good, focused and worked hard. They never rejected even my silliest ideas. The closest they ever came was every once in a while telling me something I wanted to do was not something they would do. But they also always said, if I felt I had a vocation towards it, I should try it.

My early teenage years were a stark contrast to my grade school years, and yet what I had learned at home stayed with me and repeatedly surfaced. Even so, many times in my life I hit bottom, and I didn't have my parents nearby to support me.

When I was fifteen, personal reasons led me to a different city for high school. Before they make new friends, all kids mope about a move like this. But I was sent to a new city alone, without my parents, without any friends, and with barely any money. I never felt more abandoned. What's worse, I had to go to a rich kids' private school. I was the only one there on a scholarship.

They'd pulled the rug from under my feet. I couldn't handle this feeling of utter loneliness. I was the girl sitting on the front bench and, as pathetic as this sounds, all the chairs in my row, and even in the row behind me, were empty. I had no money to pay the canteen every month, so I only ate self-made sandwiches. What looked even funnier than those sandwiches I made myself was me eating them. And the other kids let me know with the kind of hostility only kids are capable of . I think, Dear Reader, you can see me in your imagination eating on the toilet as Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls did. But my circumstances were even worse.

Five years later I was prom queen.

How was that possible?

I'd reached a low point. It felt particularly painful because I knew how it felt to be very high. I lost everything: my parents' support and the feeling of safety that a home can offer. Here I would like to mention that back then I blamed my parents for my family's misfortune and for the fact I was sent far away against my strongest protests. I could cling to no incentive.

One day the head teacher announced there would be a parents' meeting and everybody was to say which parent would represent her/him. He skipped my name; he was sure nobody would come. Suddenly, as if seeing myself from the outside, I stood up and said firmly:

I will represent myself!

From that moment on, my life changed drastically. I became aware of one absolute truth: the person I can always rely on is me. I am the person I can persuade to go in a direction that serves my interests, my wishes. I have to stand up for myself, I have to respect myself, and I have to love myself.

Everything started with a decision, a very simple onedo I want to do it or not? Some might think self-confidence is innate, or it is enough to feel it once and Rambo yourself through the difficulties of life. Bad news. Self-confidence is very fragile and fleeting unless you have a stable foundation. Low points are certain, but that they will end is also sure. How long they last depends entirely on you and how secure you are about your abilities to overcome them. Good news: building this solid foundation is totally learnable. And it is never too late to start. In this book I will tell you how.