Hi friends, welcome back 🙂 I guess I should welcome myself back as well since I haven’t posted on here in FOREVER.
I was actually just sitting in my bed, listening to Georgia On My Mind (one of my favorite songs of all time) and thinking about the fact that I haven’t been very motivated to post on here in awhile. Then I started thinking about WHY I started TheBestSings in the first place.
Disclosure: This is a pretty personal and emotional post. This is not a *pitty me* post, but one that I hope you gain from as much as I have by writing it.
Let’s go back to the beginning..
When I think back to my childhood, I distinctly remember doubting (and sometimes even hating) myself. I was always taller, always bigger, and always felt different to those around me. I never felt like I belonged with who I was with or where I was at any moment. I got called names, I was pitied, and at a certain point in time, I felt like nothing. That’s the honest truth, as hard as it is to even write down for the first time publicly.
That spiraled into body image issues. That’s a whole other story I can tell, but not today. The short version is that I would do absolutely anything in order to be smaller. Anything to be “pretty”. Anything to be seen as something other than tall and fat.
Then I met my friends, my girls that are still to this day my people. My comfort in a world that sometimes feels so cruel. Without even knowing it, they have taught me self-worth, confidence, acceptance, grace, and most of all, unconditional support. This is when things started to turn around for me little by little.
I went to college and started to take my health a bit more seriously, but still with that subconscious need to be accepted and liked. & again, that’s a whole other story I won’t get into. College was the best time of my life, but I do wish I did some things differently sometimes.
Skip to the last semester of college — student teaching semester. It’s like a little preview of what’s to come. You don’t go to classes, you just go observe and practice teaching everyday for a semester.
I started to think about how happy I was that I got a chance to impact these kids in a positive way, I started remembering all of the horrible things I felt when I was their age and how much I wished I could have an adult that made things feel okay. I wanted to be that for these kids. And I still do. I love my job and I love the opportunity that I get everyday to be a light for these students.
But that wasn’t all I realized. I realized that I already loved taking pictures and that I didn’t see enough content that made me feel good about myself on Instagram. At least, not on my timeline. I wanted to be a light there too. I want people to see their potential, their power, and their beauty when they come to my page. I know that I am not the only one with a tough past and I know I am not the only one with body image issues, but I do know that I got through it, and I continue to get through it everyday. I want to be that hand to hold while others try to get through it too. I freaking LOVE motivational quotes, I LOVE seeing people OWN who they are. They make me want to feel that way too. So when I do feel that way, I post in hopes that someone else feels good for what they have to offer too.
Honestly, yeah, the free stuff is cool, the paid collaborations are cool, but that’s not the point of it all. The point is to feel good while making others feel good too. Because this world can be shitty, comparison is a bitch, and there are all different types of beauty.
I hope you find that thing that sparks passion in you, that makes you feel like you are serving your purpose. I hope you feel powerful and worthy and beautiful when you do that thing.
Everyone has a story, it just all depends on how we move forward from it.
If you got this far, WOW thank you for reading! I hope that my story has helped you see a light or honestly just passed the time!
Stay curious & kind,
Anna
The Best Sings 