
Welcome to Conquering Confidence! I’m Bethany DeGraff, a 30-something gal navigating relationships and a career like a kid playing whack-a-mole at Chuckie Cheese. Oh, how I wish I could tell that kid to get good at the game because it’s a serious life skill I didn’t know I was going to need in life,,, but here we are.
While life certainly throws its curveballs and deals some pretty crappy hands, I’m here to tell you that no matter your past, your insecurities or mental blocks in life, you are MORE than enough! Sometimes it just takes a reminder that a little bit of confidence is all you need to let your light shine through. And girl, we need to see that light! God has given it to you for you to share it with others and I don’t ever want us to waste time not living in our purpose because we lack the confidence to say the things we need to say or do the things we need to do.
That’s why I created The Conquering Confidence Blog, a place where we can study what confidence looks like from a Biblical perspective and come together as a community to learn from each other. I feel incredibly passionate about bringing out confidence in other women because it’s what sets us apart and allows us to carry ourselves in a way that honors God and sets the right example for others. I’d like to tell you the not so graceful story about the moment that I came to this realization… this is a no-judgement zone, right?
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Several years ago, I was on a date with a guy who initially seemed like a gentleman. Things were going great until out of nowhere, he started saying some very inappropriate and crude things about me. It happened so fast it was as if he did it on purpose to see how I would react.
Unsure of what to say but knowing I felt disrespected, I did the only thing I felt I could do in that moment. I took my glass of water and threw it in his face. It was pure instinct and when I replay it in my mind it’s just like a movie scene where the woman gets to walk off in triumph. Except… that wasn’t how I felt.
The feeling of pride I had for standing up for myself was short lived because I couldn’t help but feel frustrated that I didn’t know how to respond to whatever that was. It was a feeling of complete loss of control over myself because I wasn’t confident enough to say what needed to be said and I wanted to be the type of woman that could fight my battles with words, not actions. Besides, it’s not like I’ll have a glass of water handy every time somebody disrespects me!
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I decided after that experience that I needed to learn how to find my words and work to become the type of woman that could demonstrate my value to avoid being caught-off guard like that again. And now I want to share the knowledge I’ve learned as a result of going through that process with all of you.
Perhaps you too have found yourself in a situation where you didn’t know how to respond. Maybe like me, you know you are valuable, but don’t quite know how to demonstrate it to others so it causes confusion and disappointment when somebody else doesn’t see it in you. Or maybe insecurities, trauma or a difficult past has made it impossible for you to find yourself worthy.
Well my dear sister, you have come to the right place! I hope you’ll join me on this journey to conquering confidence where we are going to explore our purpose, set boundaries, love the woman inside of us that God has created us to be and encourage one another to be better than we were yesterday. I am rooting for you, and I’ll be walking alongside you so please don’t be a stranger! I’d love to hear from you so feel free to drop me a note using the contact form and don’t forget to subscribe to the email list so you don’t miss a post.
-Bethany
I will praise you; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made
Psalm 139:14