The thing I hold on to is that if I want something bad enough it'll happen, one way or another. This is my mantra that keeps me from letting anyone tell me I can't do something and it keeps me optimistic :D

And this is why I am proud to call myself your friend. I love you, little panda. You are wonderful.

I think we all are on our journey to acceptance. Accept who we are and accept that changing ourselves for others doesn't help anyone. If YOU want to change do it only for YOURSELF. You are responsible for your happiness - you can make yourself happy. Of course, friends help, but you - being the perfect human being that you are - have to accept yourself first before you can really listen to what your friends say about you.

My name is Kristina. And I am proud to be me.
I'm Kristina freakin Noodle and I love myself. I love the short little noodle girl I am who loves nerdy things and who sometimes is a bit confused and clumsy. But I am also a great friend, and funny, and apparently I inspire people. I like myself. And you all should like yourselves too. The happiness coming with that is so worth it.

On a completely different note, I got to teach my first real lesson today and it was so much fun. I'm so proud of myself and doing this without any preparation (because the teacher got ill) showed me how I can indeed do anything if I am passionate about it.

Keep glowing girls.

I always see you're comments and they are always so inspiring. Thank you so much!

Way to teach, girl! You'll work wonders with those kids - I know it! And you do inspire us, just in case you were wondering. If you ever doubt yourself, EVER, remember the lives you've touched here and everywhere else. So, I'd just like to say, thank you for being you. For being so proud of yourself, and inspiring us to do the same. I know I'm proud to say I know you (even if we've never actually met), and I'm hoping that soon, I'll get to a place where you can be proud to know me too.

Thank you. Aaaaaand, you teach those chillins a lesson. Cause you love them. <3

Haha I still have yet to respond to your Tumblr message back because Tumblr was being dumb yesterday, but just so you know, I freaking love you and your posts.

I think deep down, everybody cares what people think of them. I say I don't, but I know there is a part of me that needs to feel accepted. It sounds so shallow, but it's true. Gradually though, through my new friends and obviously, your glow* posts, I'm learning that I can be proud to just be me! Keep glowing! Love Rachel :)

Ps - Follow me on twitter! @_mwa_ha_ha_

I completely agree with you and do not think it's shallow. I think everyone does care a little bit about what other people think of them, it's something you just can not help, but you should never be ashamed of being yourself. Keep on glowing :)

Peanut butter and honey is super tasty. Also, try that combo on a toasted bagel. SO GOOD. And as far as the bubble bath goes, Lush has this bath bomb that's literally covered in gold glitter. It looks/smells/feels/is fantastic. Fan. Tas. Tic!

Honestly I'm not going to sit here and say that I've completely accepted myself and all my flaws. Because I haven't. Not even close. But I'm working on it. Since high school, I've tried to change myself. Be someone completely different so people would like me. People have put me down. Mainly, as I'm sad to say, my own sister. But as I've learned people only try to put you down because you are above them. I'm no longer happy when I'm that person that everyone wants me to be. I realized those people don't like me for the real me. They like the facade I put on. They wouldn't like this awkward, nerdy girl that I truly am. They like the party girl. When you ladies began this site I knew it was for me. lol it's funny. Sometimes I feel like this is sort of a class. Like a discussion class. A class about accepting yourself and others. We talk about one main thing for the week and at the end of the week I've learned something completely new and I feel so accomplished. But anyways, when I learned about this site and saw how absolutely amazing and inspiring is was I made a pact with myself. I told myself that I would always be myself. I would stop putting up this facade and just be me. I would learn to accept those things about myself that I never before accepted. Because it's me and no one's changing that.

Amber, that is an amazing pact and I know you can do this. Be proud of who you are because you are amazing <3

That Dr. Seuss qoute is my absolute favourite thing ever! I'm in Seussical right now, and find myself singing that line to myself whenever I feel down about myself, or am finding something difficult to cope with. It's a brilliant quote to live by. <3

At a moment of weakness I constantly tell myself that I am strong and that I can do anything. It's not always easy to be inspired but it's not impossible. We can make a difference not only in our lives, but others as well.

Welcome to the community! Your quote is lovely. Eleanor Roosevelt was a amazing, amazing woman.

Also, excellent English. =)

I have many things that are always there for me, but there are 4 main things that I hold on to very tightly. My family/friends for always being there and always believing in me, dance for always letting me express myself and my puppies for always being ecstatic to see me and loving me for me, and knowing that i'm loved and am appreciated. I always know I have these things and thats what keeps me going:)
Remember to glow and thanks for posting:)

I love this idea! You Glow girl!

I don't really have an exact something that I hold on to, it's more of that thought that I am me. 
I try to live each day as me, being truly me. The sarcastic, joker, smart, Harry Potter and Starkid obsessed me. 
Continuing down the train of thought I posted yesterday on one of the other topics, are you still you if you change yourself to be exactly like someone else? 
When I see someone who's face is caked with makeup, hanging over guys, laughing at people with their equally popular friends, I can't help but wonder if that is really who they are? Do they put up a mask to fit in? Why do they do that? Are they unhappy being themselves? Do they want to be someone else?
I admit, sometimes I look at my best friend, and think about how I wish I had her life. I want to be her.  The I wake up in the middle of the night, my sheets and my quilt thrown across the room, I'm laying half off the bed, half on the bed, and my cat has stolen all 5 of my pillows, and I burst out laughing at how funny it seems to me. At that moment, I wonder how I could possibly want to be someone other than me. 
When I hear someone say they wish they were some famous actress or singer, I'm shocked. Do they really want that? Do they really want every single thing they do photographed, and criticized? Do they want everyone to follow their lives, see every mistake, every private moment, in some magazine? 

I'm happy being me. Being me is a wonderful feeling. If I were someone else, or kept wishing I was someone else, I would have missed so many experiences that have made me who I am.

Kathleen

My mantra is something that an actress said to me when I asked for advice after seeing a show; "Work hard, be patient, and don't let anyone tell you you can't make it!". I write this down everywhere so that I'm always reminded of it; it's on my wall, in my purse, on my school folders. I love it because it doesn't just apply to acting, but life in general. Work hard & be patient speaks for itself, but the last part is the most inspiring for me; it reminds me to never let anyone tellme I can't do the things I want to, because I'm not good enough, or smart enough, or whatever, because you know what? I am. And this quote, or mantra, always reminds me of that.

My mantra is to always smile because a smile makes everything better, and no matter how bad things get something good has to follow.

You are who you are and don't change for anyone, especially if something you do makes you happy. Chase your dreams, because you're dreams aren't going to chase you.

I have to say I thought the same thing. I used to think 'What's the point?' but after watching that video and seeing the response from everyone I wanted to act more than ever. To show that I do have a voice and I can make a change. We all can. We just have to choose to do so.

I definitely go by a lot of quotes like (sorry of I get this wrong) but "say what you think, and think what you say. Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind"... It's really helped me get through a lot since I'm not like other girls my age (I.e. I like a lot of rock music and i don't give a rip about designer clothes and all that typical high school junior girl stuff). So I always think of that and the Beatles' quote "we all wanna change the world" (from Revolution) whenever people look at me strangely or make fun of me because I'm really smart or im not popular.

I love that quote. Definitely something I'm going to live by now! xo

"The only normal people are the people you dont know" i live by this quote. I have a slightly crazy and out there personality. Luckily i have a group of friends who are exactly like me. I try not to compare my self to others as i am my own person and wouldnt change my perosnality for anyone. Im happy with who i am and i deffo couldnt be quite or be normal. Im always the one who is doing crazy stuff, it makes me a fun person to be around.

I love the quote from Flogging Mollly's "The Son Never Shines on Closed Doors," which goes "And we all go the same way home." To me it means that we all are going to die some day - we're all human. No one is better than anyone else, so never let anything tell you that you are less.

My sincerest condolences.
I like the quote. We should always think like that. Also I love the idea with the playlist. Music is so important in our lives. We can express a lot with music. I'll make one for myself.

I hold on to the truth that I cannot compromise who I am to get to where I want to go. I need to get there with the all of me intact, and without any of these parts of me I cannot achieve what I want to. I hold on to the fact that I will not compromise my integrity, or my attitude, or my friends, or my family, or my education just to get something that I want.

I hold on to the truth that I am the way I am because I was created to be that way. Changing things about me just to appeal to others is not the goal. The goal of life is to make the best of what you are given, and to do good things to improve the community, the world, and yourself. Listen to what YOU say, not what the other people want you to say. Be yourself.

Beautiful. What an amazing quote!

My mantra for the last nine months was and will still be in the future: Keep up the good work and be the best possible you.

I first had to find out who I am, to accept who I am. And now I can show it everybody else and be proud if being just the way I am.

I am a rather strange girl so I get, "You're weird," a lot. But my little mantra is "Weird people are the best." After I say that everybody seems to want to be weird.

Weird is who I am and I am not afraid to say it!!

I actually loved this quote, right from the first time I saw it in how I met your mother. It so true, and I know what you mean about it helping, because it really does!

One of my all time FAVORITE quotes is: This is your world. Shape it or someone else will.

I think that this is an incredible quote that very blatantly states the truth: if you want to be a part of the world that you're living in, do something about it, or someone else will take control of your life. For me , this could mean standing up for something that I think needs to be fixed, or getting involved in something that can help the greater community. I feel that by doing these things, it can help me and others create the world that we want to be a part of.

That is beautiful, and so true! I like how you wrote it on your mirror to remind you every morning. I do something like that, expect I write different things every day, and I write them on the window rather than the mirror, but still the same principle:)

Something that really helps me get through tough times, or things that scare me, is the fact that no matter what happens in this day, or this hour, there are a million more days and ten million more hours in my life. This is just one day out of millions, so really there's no point in worrying about one day when you put into perspective how many days you really have on this earth.

Another thing that seems to pop into my head when I'm worried or panicked about something: "Hey! Whatever happens, you're still alive!" It sounds really stupid, because there's so many more things that I could think of to help me, but the relief of 'being alive' is just so simple that it comforts me more than anything else could.

I really believe in "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." There really is no point in making someone feel unimportant. We are all special. We all have our own feelings, opinions, personalities. We are all individuals and we all have equal rights to respect.

I know exactly how you feel--the stress, the expectations, the way all of it stifles you. Although it is extremely relieving to know all this will be over with in two years, struggles will never be gone in life.
So my new attitude towards my hatred of school is just "live it up". Most of the time when you tell yourself that, you won't believe it. But if you say this time and time again, there must come a day where you actually do, right? These remaining years of high school, no matter how painful they may be, are still two whole years that must be endured. So why not look at the positive side of it instead of wishing them away? Make the most of what you have for now. Take a step back every once in a while, and just breathe. Best of luck <3

Being a good number of years away from high school, I can tell you that the people telling you you'll miss it are only speaking for themselves. There's nothing wrong in wanting to get through school and never looking back, wanting to become a different and stronger person. And having that choice is going to be amazing, it's going to be something that will make that new chapter of your life that much more exciting. Keep on going!

When I feel it's really hard to go on, I love singing the chorus of one of my favorite songs:
"On and on, cause the road is never ending
At least we know that we are on our way
On and on, no more lies and no pretending
We're gonna find a brighter day"
(Fiddlers Green: On and on)

I don't really have an exact saying, but I always remember that through the roughest times, music is always here for me. It's impossible for someone to take a song away from me, an inspiring song that keeps me going the rest of the day.

So, take your favorite song and sing it loud for everyone to hear.

Because nothing's ever gonna bring us down 'cause nothing can keep me from loving you.<3

There are several truths that I have.
1. I believe in God (and I believe in not shoving it down people throats)
2. I believe that even though I was born a twin our best friend is just as much of a sister. So therefore we are triplets.
3. I believe that we will all live together in Chicago like we talked about. As a nurse, writer and photographer (we'll make it into a sitcom).
4. I believe that I'll find that one guy some day and I'm ok with the waiting process.
5. I believe in myself no matter what failures or successes may come.

I really love the concept of having a truth to hold onto! It was first presented to me about three years ago and it really keeps me focused on what's important in life.

Lauren's question reminds me of my favorite episode of lost entitled "The Constant" when Desmond is uncontrollably traveling through different times in his life and he loses track of where he is at different points. In order to survive the time warp, Desmond is advised to chose a constant that is present at both times. Though they were broken up, he choses Penny as his constant because Desmond knows as an absolute truth that he loves her. This ends up saving his life.

We all need something to hold onto each day that reminds us what is important in life. One thing that I hold onto is true love (and I am definitely not talking about boy friend/girl friend love because I am single). What I mean is that I know as an absolute truth that God, my family and close friends have unconditional, selfless love for me that I return to them.

This truth is so important to me and has really helped me to become a better person because I try to live my life in a way that would make them proud (in the long run). I find that the best way to do this is to be my self and be happy with who I am.

I still compare myself to people during the times where I am really down on myself about school and find my self jealous of others who don't have to try as hard as I do.

The thing is, the people who I feel have it together in one area are life are heavily burdened in another area, so jealously is silly because everyone has areas where they are weak! You need to focus on being the best you that you can be because that is what will make the people who TRUELY love you proud!

I always see the girls at school with their make-up caked on and chasing after every guy in the school and I think "Is this who they really want to be? Are they even showing their true selves?"
I once gave up my real friends and regular life to join the popular crowd. It was a terrible experience actually, because I felt disposable in that crowd. I would hang out with one friend and when another, better one came by, I was ditched and left in the dust. I would look over to my real friends and hear them talking about the Star Wars marathon on tv last night and I longed to go talk to them. Finally after three years, I got sick of the charade I was playing with the popular girls and ditched them like they did to me. I've realized that now I should've stayed who I am and held onto the friends that I had. So now, I embrace every part of my nerdy awkward self, and I feel ten times happier!
My name is Kayley Clark and I am a total fan-nerd. I am obsessed with Harry Potter, love to just sit and read or watch a good Disney movie, I play the cello, violin, and contrabass, and I am completely me!

AMEN, SISTER.

I live my life by Dr. Seuss quotes.
For my birthday (which I happen to share with Dr. Seuss) my friends bought me my all time favorite of his books. (The Butter Battle, The Sneetches, The Lorax, and of course, Oh The Places You'll Go.)
Both of my truths come from his books.
"You'll get mixed up of course, as you already know, you'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with great care and tact, and remember that life's a great balancing act. So, never forget to be dexterous and deft, and to never mix up your right foot with your left."
It reminds me that you're going to make wrong choices, and you're going to get mixed up with the wrong crowd. But it'll be fine if you learn from your mistakes and keep moving.
My other one is
"Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way."
You can't just wait for life to happen, you have to go out and move your own mountains.
I'm sorry I said so much, this is probably my favorite glow entry so far.

I recently went to Ghana for a while and while there, a truth that I found myself holding onto was that rather than thinking of things as better or worse, we can think of them simply as different. I found that this made it a lot easier to live in the moment and really focus on things as they are now, rather than constantly focusing on comparisons.

I tell myself all the time that I need to just be myself. If people don't like me for who I actually am, then they don't need to be friends with me. Why should I be friends with someone if they don't even want to try getting to know the real me.

The one thing that keeps me going through the day is waking up and tell myself to do something amazing today. I try my hardest ever morning to work towards creating something new or doing something for someone else. Each day brings a new opportunity to change your life and that is something we should never take advantage of!

As I've learned and keep seeing, it doesn't matter one's skill or talent when they are trying to accomplish a task. It is their determination that sets them apart. I am short, yet I am always goalie on every sport I play. This is a huge disadvantage, however, I am an extremely determined person. I know that when I work hard, not even the tallest girls can beat me.

My mantra is definitely 'It doesn't matter.' Whenever someone says something either hurtful or untrue, or both, I whisper this enough times until I calm down. And it's the truth. It doesn't matter what people are saying, because I know it's not true. I'm better than that. It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter what people think, simply be yourself.

Good for you! Never be afraid or stop being your self, even if you are different! Everyone's unique as this post points out and that is perfectly fine. You will find other people who like and want the same things as you and people who accept you just for who you are. Keep on glowing :)

Thank you! :3 You are supermegafoxyawesomehot. And you're right, nothing should ever stop us from being who we are! :D

I live by the mantra that everyone you encounter is in your life for a reason. Every person I've met is the embodiment of a lesson that I must learn. Those that challenge me force me to work harder. Those who frustrate me teach me true patience. Those who show kindness make me want to emulate their actions. Each day and each person helps me to either discover an untold truth about myself or develop a part of myself that needs to grow.

When I'm feeling low I try to remember that I have just the same influence on the people around me. For better or worse I can be an agent of change in their life. It would be a disservice to them, and to myself, to be anything less than who I am.

My best friend Maddie is someone I can always go to!!! There is never a day where she can't make me smile.

I totally agree with everything you said! And also I loveeee RENT. It's probably my fave musical and it's so inspirational<3

Yes! I love RENT. Are many great quotes in there that I try to live by. "forget regret or life is yours to miss" and "to being an us for once insted of a them" are two of my faves :-)

These are some I love:

He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.
-Friedrich Nietzsche

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
-Harvey Fierstein

We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already.
― J.K. Rowling

Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak.
- dumbledore :P

thanks for sharing that with us lauren! I have always loved Dr. Suess meaasges <3 (:

Tell yourself how lucky you are -Seussical
I keep finding myself listening to that song when I'm sad (a lot lately...) and it just tells me that it could always be worse. Sure, things might not be the greatest now, but with time it will turn around.
Another is
And if you have a minute why don't we go talk about it somewhere only we know-Keane
I'm always fantasizing about going with my boyfriend to a place only the two of us know, just us. And he wouldn't be in any pain whatsoever (he's had some really bad stomach problems and is currently out of contact probably throwing up) and I wouldn't be sad and everything would just be totally perfect. That thought of maybe one day that could happen keeps me going.
The last quote that's been keeping me up lately is: To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world.
this is true for a bunch of reasons. To my boyfriend, I know I'm everything to him. (He never lets me forget really). It's also true for my sisters. I really thought a lot about this when I heard she wanted to kill herself. I couldn't imagine going through anything without her being there smiling (she's always smiling). She's the world to me. My younger sister as well. I may be mean to her, but i would do anything for her. And it just reminds me overall that no matter what, I need to stay here for one reason or another. That yea, I am here for a reason and, maybe i deserve to be here and happy and maybe I don't, but other people need me to stay strong at times.
I have a bunch of other quotes and I could go through (I have a book of quotes) and find every one that means something to me, but these are the big ones.
I need to stay more positive, and when something's going wrong, just relax a little bit and let it unfold. There's always something worse, and if not, imagination can take a little pain away. And if that doesn't work, just remind myself that I'm needed on this world and people love me. A lot.
I'm holding onto all these things just to try and keep myself together as I'm struggling. And I think that's really important that I have that.

As a joke, my friends and I started saying,
"You got this." Just laughing right before a big test or something. Now we say it to each other all the time, and while still goofy, it really does mean a lot. I'll be trying to rush out the door in 5 minutes and think to myself, "you got this". Or my friends trying to salvage a relationship with her father, the text I sent her before the dinner? "You got this" It's great because it can literally apply to almost any situation and really does put a positive spin on things.

Even though it sounds dumb, my friend and I use Glee. We send "Courage." to each other sometimes, even if we don't need it. She just recently started dating a mutual friend of ours, who also happens to be a girl, and I sent her a tweet and a text that said "Courage <3" it made her day.

But for me when I'm pep-talking myself... I use Julia's book.
"I was born with a warrior's heart."
and I keep reminding myself of that.

Can I be your friend?

One truth:
A carrot can do wonders.
Also, if you set your mind to it and allow there to be loads of patience, you can accomplish anything.
One example?
http://vimeo.com/37119711
If we come together we can help the invisible children in Uganda.

I live by another Dr. Seuss quote- "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Forever, I tried to make people happy and make people like me, but I ended up with the wrong crowd of people who teased me for who I was. I turn to this quote whenever I am deciding whether I should do something or not. "Am I doing this to please other people, or am I doing it for myself?" I remind myself that if being me bothers them so much, the I should not care what they think, and I should not even be their friend if they were mean enough to me. That quote has gotten me through so much. <3

My Grandma just turned 70 and still brings her fart machines and fake dog poop to parties to make everyone laugh. My cousin's other Grandma is an extremely negative, and stern lady, and is often around at family parties. One day she got sick and tired of my Grandma making everyone laugh at her cheesey pranks and snapped at her. My Grandma told her calmly, "You will grow old, you have no choice. But you never have to grow up."

That moment forever changed my outlook on life.

I have a very short but powerful mantra, just three words: 'Know you can.' I made it up myself, and the main message is that you can do anything, if you just put your mind to it and believe in yourself!

The cool thing about it is that you can read it in several ways (or add just one word to it), and this way it can be used as an encouragement for others as well - 'I know you can.' Or: 'YOU know you can.'

I try to live by this as best as I can, and I'm getting better at it!:) So here's to all you girls out there who are making a similar journey on your way to self-confidence, just as I am: Know you can!

Sometimes I hate the very features that I loved the day before. It's always the things that make me different. But being different is a good thing. I am still looking for a mantra that works for me, but know I have a ton I can choose from. Thanks glow* :)

Late to the party, but quotes are wonderful things:

The one that I try to live my life by is "Fake it till you make it." It means that if you think you can't do something, pretend you've done it a million times. If you're scared of something, pretend you're not. Walk into that classroom or job interview or audition with confidence, because it'll get you through it.

My other favorite quote was my yearbook quote in HS, it's a song I've loved forever: "Good friends we've had, and good friends we've lost along the way. In this bright future, you can't forget your past, so dry your tears." (Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry") No matter how bad things get, if friends leave or bad things happen, stay strong. Life is going to throw things at you, and you've survived this much when you didn't think you would. Good things will come.