Confidence is not a Destination, It's a Journey
A couple of months ago, I remember cozying up on my couch to watch an Oprah Winfrey interview with Meghan Markle and her husband, Prince Harry. I admire Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, for her modern, feminist ideals and, like many people, I was curious about the life the two had created stateside. Little did I know that these 2 hours of watching television would lead me to question my entire business and push me to more clearly define my purpose.
Like many viewers, I found the interview shocking for many reasons. However, one segment that hit close to home was when Meghan spoke about her struggle with suicidal feelings.
I have students from all walks of life in my programs at Fearless Focus. Some just want to have fun, some need a little guidance navigating new friendships, and others experience darker feelings like those described by the Duchess. The words she used were many of the same words I hear from students in that latter group: shame, fear, unrelenting dark thoughts.
I am not a therapist and I make that clear to all of the families that come to my program. But I have created a safe space for young people on the South Shore to be themselves. Thinking about this, I began to question, who am I? I am not a mental health professional. I am not an academic. But I do have 20 years of real-life experience with young people.
Just like I built my business day by day over more than two decades confidence is built slowly, with consistency and perseverance. Confidence is not a destination, it’s a journey. Some days will be better than others and we need to work hard, even on those good days, so that we have the strength to persevere on the bad days.
“Confidence is not a destination, it’s a journey.”
Just like Meghan Markle, I didn’t give up and I use my lessons to teach my students that they shouldn’t either. Our kids who experience these thoughts are not broken. They are normal. They survived a GLOBAL PANDEMIC! They are resilient.
The lesson I took away from watching Meghan Markle reveal her pain to the world is that it is okay to not feel okay but in those moments we need to reach deep within ourselves to find the courage to ask for help. We need to fortify ourselves with tools to access our self-worth and make sure we are taking care of each other. These are the core principles upon which I built Fearless Focus more than 20 years ago and I couldn’t be more proud that we are still teaching these tools to young people today.
About: My name is Maria Wood-Smith and my passion has always been helping children and teens to feel more confident as the person they are or want to become. Surrounding myself with some of the most amazing young girls and boys from all over the South Shore (and beyond!) brings me such joy and it translates to limitless opportunities to spread that joy. I am so proud of what we have been able to accomplish at Fearless Focus and the Powerhouse Program, not only on an individual level with every girl and boy that walks into our studio but for the local community as well.
My instructors and I take our positions as role models very seriously. We treat every student as an individual and take the time, care and attention to get to know them but more importantly to encourage them to get to know themselves. So many young girls and boys don’t really understand how to go about feeling confident and fearless on the inside so we give them the tools. First and foremost confidence in oneself comes from knowing oneself. So we challenge them to begin defining…Who are they? What are their strengths? Weaknesses? What makes them happy? When are they the most scared or insecure? The personal transformations and growth we are privileged to witness here are beyond inspiring!!