How self-confidence has changed my life

What has taking my family on holiday have to do with my own self-confidence? 

I’m in Turkey, at a 5* all-inclusive resort with my husband and teenagers.

If the person I was 20 years ago could see me now she’d be stunned and proud, because here’s the thing… 

I’ve paid for it all! 🤩

This feels like a HUGE achievement after the years of “blood, sweat and tears” to start and build my own business and Ltd company.

Having been a military partner for almost 25 years now… one of the main side-effects can be a MASSIVE HIT to your self-confidence and self-esteem, for three main reasons: 

(Things may have changed a little now but 20 years ago when I got married…)

1: The identification card I got handed when I first moved to live “behind the wire” in Fallingbostel Germany had the word “DEPENDANT” on it… 

If THAT doesn’t make you feel like you’d dropped to the bottom of the food chain not much will!! 

2: As a present for our first Christmas as a married couple my husband gave me invitation cards with “From Mrs Roddy Williams” on them. He wouldn’t do the same thing now but at the time it was sort of expected that when you’re “newly arrived” somewhere (again!!) and you are inviting people over to make new friends… they would only know you as the “wife of” - so you may as well put that on the invitation!! 

3: During the first 10 years of being married to the military I moved house eight times to five different countries and had 10 different jobs; leaving behind friends, family and having and taking two children in tow along the way.  

It was a lot of change, and whilst that does build confidence and resilience to a certain degree, it can also make you feel like you don’t fit or belong anywhere; like there’s no point making friends you’ll probably move away from or who will move away from you; and also like you can’t “finish what you started” because you can’t begin a qualification or career process etc and be sure that you’ll be around to finish it!! 

I salute and support the many amazing military focused charities who support service personnel and those who serve along side them.

Here’s to more self-confidence and self-belief who ever you are and for whatever you wish to achieve. I’ll be raising a glass to my “younger self” on this holiday as I think she’d be very proud of what I and Building Your Confidence Ltd is aiming to achieve - this is only the beginning!! 

#selfconfidence #empower #strive #achieve #militarylife #military #militaryspouse #army #armywife