A GIRL'S WORLD
By: Erin, 12 (aka dyana97)

Lots of girls around the world have low self-esteem, high self-esteem and are confident. I’m one of those girls. Sometimes I have high self-esteem and sometimes I have low self-esteem. But it’s okay because whenever I think about other girls who have low self-esteem or low self confidence, I know I’m not the only one and that along with those other girls I can change. Even sometimes when I’m with my best friends, I feel like I’m not pretty, I’m not as smart as them and all that, an basically I feel like a black sheep, the odd one out. But then I think to myself that I am beautiful and I am smart and that I’m special in my own way and that brings my confidence up. Being a girl can have its ups and downs but don’t ever feel like you’re not pretty or smart enough because you are. And it doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside, it matters what you look like on the inside.

TRUE HAPPINESS
By: Abigail, 13 (aka coolgirl4ever)

If you’re like me, you’ve probably dealt with one hard thing or another in your life. Family members die or parents get divorced, and if you’re like me, you’re drowning yourself in self-pity. I used to do that. I was MISERABLE. I constantly felt bad for myself, saying how horrible my life was. I was telling myself how "strong" I was to be handling all this. But really, things weren’t that bad. I was over exaggerating things in my mind. A family member died, and no one was sympathetic so immediately I was mad at everyone for being insensitive. But really, the problem wasn’t with everyone else. The problem was ME. I was being dramatic about it, and playing bad circumstances up until they seemed horrible. My life stunk, not because bad things happened, but because I made myself believe I had a horrible life. Please, do NOT fall into the same trap that I did. I realized the reason that I was so down was because all I cared about was myself. I sympathized with myself and was mad that no one else would sympathize with me. So basically my problems came on me because I was SELFISH. And I soon realized that the way to help get rid of selfishness was to serve others. So I began to do that. I’d clear the dishes or watch my little siblings without being told to do it. It was something I did when no one else was paying attention. I never realized how much satisfaction you can get by doing something for someone besides yourself. The way I found true happiness was by being selfless and serving others. I didn’t tell you my story because I’m proud of how I acted. Believe me, I’m ashamed of how selfish I was a few months ago. I’m telling you this so that you can apply what I’ve told you and not get caught up in selfishness, like I did. I really hope you take my advice and I hope it helps you.