Okay, I’m going to nerd out for a moment. I got to see Meghan Trainor in concert, and let me tell you, this 51-year old transformed into a twenty-something for a few hours. I sang along, danced to the beat, and even embraced some of her sass. It was fabulous.
Rediscovering my confidence
As I belted out “I’m all about that bass,’bout that bass, no treble,” I left behind the woman who is self-conscious of her body. I flashed back to my teenage years when I liked how I looked–before I learned “it wasn’t good enough.” Pride and self-acceptance flooded my body. No shame. No judgment. Just pure, unfiltered joy.
When “If I was you, I’d wanna be me too” came on, confidence surged through me. I stopped wishing I were someone else and embraced the fact that being me is a pretty cool thing. “I thank God every day that I woke up feeling this way and I can’t help loving myself” felt less like lyrics and more like a prayer–a hope for every day to start this way.
The power of “no”
Then, came the power of “no.” Instead of being a “yes” girl, always trying to please others, I sang with full confidence, “Nah to the ah to the, no, no, no. My name is no, my sign is no, my number is no. You need to let it go…” It was liberating. Saying “no” gave me a strength I didn’t realize I needed. It reminded me that “yes” isn’t the only option–and that it’s okay to stand firm in my decisions.
The night got even more interesting when I sang along to a song that goes against the grain of everything I was taught growing up. Some might find it arrogant or even blasphemous, but Meghan’s message was clear: loving yourself and appreciating your own hard work isn’t wrong, it’s necessary. “Yeah, I wanna thank me and kiss myself. I wanna thank me right now and nobody else.” Even as I type this, auto-correct wants me to change it to “thank you.” But why not thank ourselves for our efforts? Who else has a front-row seat to our hard work and struggles?
Better when I’m dancing
It was a magical night, and I left the amphitheater clinging to the feeling of self-love and confidence. The concert reminded me to “Show the world you’ve got that fire, feel the rhythm getting louder, show the world what you can do, prove to them you’ve got the moves.” And, she was right–I do feel better when I’m dancing, when I let go and when I embrace who I am. We all do.