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No one needs to know you're uncomfortable because you have already done the preparation internally before you show up externally. Some people have said and commented to me, I love how confident your children are. I love how they walk or some people have said glide into a room, but that was built internally. And not just how you're showing up externally, but how are you showing up internally? This podcast was created just for you, those of you who are embracing peace on your journey in pursuit of purpose. Have you ever thought about that topic? I mean, really talked about how you're showing up, not just externally, but internally. You sometimes may feel like not so put together. I mean, we've all been there. Like you rushed, you hurried, your hair may not be right, your makeup may not be right, you have on the wrong shoes, they're hurting, they're flopping off your feet. All of these things actually have happened to me recently. I promise you, one event after another. I'm like, that's not how I expected to wear my hair. Oh my God, why are these shoes acting like this right now? Better yet, my husband and I were attending an event and we stayed downtown so that we would be on time. And when I put on my dress and asked him to zip me up, the zipper broke. I learned so many lessons that day. I cannot even begin to tell you. The first being, I'm never, ever, ever going to attend an event with just one dress. I'm gonna make sure I have a backup dress with me. That's number one. Two, maybe not to have him zip me up. But anyway, ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies, I'm having this discussion or I'm talking about this topic because too many times people talk about it after the fact. I wish I had instead of, I wish somebody had actually told me in advance. Hello, beautiful. Thank you so much for joining me for another episode of Becoming Serene. But if you have not subscribed yet, please hit that button right now. And don't forget to hit the notification bell so that you are notified whenever new episodes drop. And if you are truly, truly enjoying the show, please share it with someone else who is also embracing peace and their pursuit of purpose, just like we are. So thank you so much again as we continue our journey together of becoming serene. So this brings me to the book of Esther. Where else would we go to talk about beauty and confidence? More importantly, preparation. My dear friends, Esther was being prepared for a purpose. It didn't mean that she felt comfortable in her skin or she was always comfortable with what she had to do in order to go where she was going. No, sometimes you're not comfortable. But no one needs to know that. No one needs to know you're uncomfortable because you have already done the preparation internally before you show up externally. Some people have said and commented to me, I love how confident your children are. I love how they walk or some people have said glide into a room. But that was built internally. I purposely talk about who they are and whose there are. And that's not meaning Travail and I. No, I'm saying that they are God's children. My children know that they are children of the King of Kings. So their confidence doesn't come from their parents, their confidence comes from who they are in God. So that is what I want to share with you all today is that your confidence is going to come from your consistency, not trends. You're not following what other people are doing. You're not looking to social media to know how you should look and how you should dress. By all means, I may look up the color wheel, I may look up the going trend for a season, you know, just to know. It's not going to define what I wear, how I shop. I'm going to always wear what makes me feel confident. I'm going to always show up how Ruth wants to be seen. And what I mean by that is I may not necessarily have any money in my purse. I may not have on the latest and the greatest, nor on trend thing. But you can't tell me that. Like, I'm going to put on whatever I am comfortable in for that event or for that purpose. But I'm dressing for the position that I'm pursuing. I'm pursuing excellence. I'm pursuing purpose. So my dress and my exterior is going to show that. And you know what else we should not be doing? We should not also be dressing for validation. Let that sink in for a little bit. I see and hear so many times. People just want validation. They want someone else to say, yes, you look amazing. Yes, you should wear your hair like that. Yes, you should wear clothes that complement this. That's your best asset. Instead of being able to say, This is how I want to express myself because this is who I know that I am. Are you seeking validation? Friends, if you are, please stop right now in your tracks because the only validation you should be seeking is that of our Father. And if God has already confirmed, confirmed, confirmed who you are and who He wants you to be, that's all that matters. I promise you, that is all that matters. Express your best self. And please do not, do not start to compare. Did you know that comparison is the thief of joy? When you compare yourself to other people, whether it's their shape, their size, their bank account, their status, what they're wearing, who they're hanging with, all of these things, it just starts to tear away at your joy. And before you know it, you look up and you're like, why am I living this joyless life? I used to be so full of joy. I used to have so much peace. I used to love who I was. So instead of wishing that you had or you were, how about just embracing who you are, who God made you, and be grateful because I promise you, if all of the time that you spend thinking about what you wish you had and who you wish you were hanging with, or you wish you lived somewhere else, if you replaced all those thoughts with thoughts of gratitude, it will change. It will not just change your countenance, it will start to change your perspective and your views and everything, I promise you, everything will fall into place and start looking up. So thank you so much for joining me for another episode of Becoming Serene Beautiful. I greatly appreciate it. And if you didn't get anything out of this episode except making sure you are confident in who God made you to be. No one else. We need you to show up true, authentic, and purposeful you. Because nothing else even matters. I am comfortable in a formal ball gown, just as comfortable in gym shoes, jeans, and a t-shirt. And that's only because I am confident that God made Ruth Serene Debonay South Hall as only He could. And I love me. And I hope and pray that you love you too. Because I love you. If you enjoyed this episode, please do not forget to subscribe, like, and share it. Shared with a friend who's been talking about being confident, and she's just wondering how. And go to the book of Esther and read about how she was being prepared for purpose to save her people. Esther was not being prepared in a way and uh being adorned in everything for other people to look at her and to validate her. Nope, she was seeking the valid validation of just one. She was going to win the king. The king wanted and did, wanted Esther because of how she looked. But honey, Esther brought way more than her external. Her heart was prepared to win him over. So as you prepare your heart, do not forget that your internal should show up externally as well. Thank you so much for watching, and don't forget, as usual, until next time, stay serene.