BEING MORE CONFIDENT

Dear Jellybean,

I don't have much confidence or self esteem in myself and I was wondering if you can help? I don't think I'm very pretty or smart despite what people tell me. I've only been asked out once all my life which doesn't help, and I'm 18! Are there any tips to being more confident? Thanks!

Dear Writer,

If people tell you that you're pretty or smart, there's a pretty good chance that you are those things. You're smart enough, for instance, to know that the main thing holding you back is a lack of confidence. That's probably the reason you haven't been asked out a lot too - the confidence thing, that is. Despite what many girls think about guys (that they only go for outer beauty), the fact is that the opposite sex is attracted - just like we girls are - to a person who seems happy, sure of themselves, and like they'd be fun and outgoing to hang out with. So there's another great reason to work on improving your self-esteem - more attention from guys.

But of course, the best reason to devote time to feeling better about yourself is, to be a happier person. When you have confidence that comes from within, you can get through a bad day - a fight with a friend, an insult from an enemy, a moody 24 hours, and so on - and still come out feeling good about yourself. Confidence is like an awesome best friend - once you've got it, it will stick by you and help you to see the good in yourself, no matter what troubles the outside world brings.

Learning true self-confidence is a process. To get started, check out the Myjellybean.com article "Love You!" (click here), which has tips on accepting the person that you are, and learning to love that person like a BFF.