Meghan McSharry
Meghan McSharry, 23, is a recent college graduate and beauty/lifestyle blogger. On the outside, you’d think she has it all together—and she does—but it wasn’t always that way. And it takes work that she’s willing to put in on a daily basis to embrace herself and find her the most confident version of herself.
Here’s Meghan’s story, in Meghan’s words, about how she learned to recognize the importance of self-care, started talking back to her anxiety and why embracing her outward appearance became a catalyst for transformational changes on the inside.
Simple Things Can Equal Big Confidence…
“I feel the most confident and successful on the days when I get up early, get in a quick workout, shower and take my time getting ready. I apply my favorite makeup, blow dry my hair, and put on a favorite, go-to outfit. As simple as it may seem, being prepared and taking the time to make myself feel my most beautiful makes me feel so confident and ready to take on the day.”
Why Paying Attention to Your Outside Can Affect Big Inner Changes…
“Just over a year ago, I was broken up with by my boyfriend and first true love. We had been together for about a year and a half, but it was too difficult being long distance out of college. I hated my job and only felt worse once I lost the one thing in my life that really made me happy. That heartbreak translated to everything in my life. It made me much more critical of my appearance and where I was in life. My mom felt bad for me and finally bit the bullet and paid for me to have the non-surgical nose job (or nose fillers) at Greenwich Med Spa—that turned my confidence around completely. I got rid of one of the things that made me feel the most self-conscious (the bump in my nose) and felt beautiful after just a 30-minute procedure. It boosted my motivation to work out, be more social, and play around with makeup, something I love doing and hadn’t been doing as much. It also made me more confident in pictures, which is why I decided to start blogging as much as I do. Blogging then gave me even more confidence and a platform to help me reach other young women via social media.”
The Importance of Roles Models…
“My mom is one of my original confidence role models. She has four kids and has raised us all so incredibly well. She’s struggled with her weight for over the last 20 years and is still just as strong and as bad ass as ever. I also think that a lot of influencers inspire me to be more confident. They catch a lot of flak for being negative forces to young women, but I think they can be really positive. It’s inspiring to see women putting themselves out there and sharing the not-so-perfect parts of their lives.”
What Your Self-Talk Should Sound Like…
“I try to tell myself that I’m still young and have some of the best and most successful years ahead of me. It’s really easy for me to compare my life to others, and I tend to forget that I’m still only 23 and a year and a half out of college. I don’t have to have it all figured out yet. As long as I’m doing things I love, I’m doing something right.”
Words to Get You Out of Your Own Way…
“’People are going to talk about you no matter what you do, so you might as well do whatever brings you joy and live your best life.’ – Unknown
I think so many women get caught up in caring about what other people think, and the reality is that people are going to judge you no matter what you do and what you look like. It’s more important to understand that and let go of caring about it and instead just do things for you. The key to being confident is understanding that people will judge you and learning to not care.”
Why Self-Care is Essential to Building Confidence…
“I know I’m in need of self-care when my room is a mess, my anxiety is at its peak, or my body is shutting down—whether it shows that through tiredness or getting sick. Self-care to me is cleaning my room and putting all my clothes away, taking a nice long shower, and taking the time to do a full skincare routine and applying some masks.”
Proof that Honesty is Always the Best Policy…
“I’m very honest, articulate, and dedicated. I think a lot of people fail to be honest with themselves and others, and so many people believe that lying or sugarcoating something makes things better. It’s so important to be honest with people so that they can improve. I’m articulate, and that helps greatly when it comes to writing or communicating with others. I’m dedicated, too—once I set my mind to doing something, I put all of my strength and passion into doing that something.”
On Challenges that Incite Growth…
“I’m challenged on a daily basis by my anxiety. Anxiety is something that so many people deal with and it can be really debilitating. I’ve learned so much from trying to deal with my anxiety, but one of the most important things I’ve learned is that it’s ok to ask for help. I’ve also learned that all those ‘What ifs?’ that come with having anxiety can be turned around to benefit you – instead of thinking ‘What if it goes wrong?’ think ‘What if it’s better than I ever even imagined?’”
