[TuesDate] It's okay to not be confident all the time :)

Happy Tuesday! :)

How was your weekend? Hope you had a beautiful and restful one.About a week ago, I was craving for two things:

• sushi and sahimi
• nature trips

I messaged my World Youth Day and Fitness Group friends in our group chat and asked,?"Who wants to go to Sonya's Garden in Tagaytay this coming weekend?"?Three said they wanted to go! Woohoo!?So last Saturday, I and 3 of my friends went to Tagaytay! We left Manila at 8:00AM.

We did a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Lourdes, had lunch at Sonya's Garden, then hot chocolate at Taal Vista hotel.

One of us said she wanted to do Videoke.

And that's exactly what we did -- Videoke from 8:00PM - 11:00PM! Hehe!

I love the spontaneity.

Thank God for the gift of friends.

Today, I'd like to talk about courage or confidence.

One of my biggest fears is going to the dentist.

When I was younger and until college, each trip to the dentist was a family trip.

Papa would drive the car, my entire family would accompany me, and my Mama had to hold my hand while I'm on the dental chair.

When I was already working in Manila and I had to go to the dentist, my officemate offered to accompany me.

We were supposed to meet at the clinic at a particular time.

Alas! I arrived 30 minutes earlier and the clinic was not busy so they attended to me right away.

They had me sit on a dental chair and they put some white wax on my teeth to diagnose what kind of braces was needed.

I was so anxious. That was the first time I entered a dental clinic by myself.

Plus, the person who attended to me didn't smile at me. I felt so unsafe!

I told her I just needed to go to the restroom.

I went out of the dental clinic, entered the elevator, pressed the ground floor, and went home!?(Ooops, sorry clinic! It's not you, it's me.)

Then I messaged my officemate and told her not to proceed anymore.

After 2 or 3 years, I mustered enough courage to face my fear.

I went to the dentist by myself and had them install braces.

I was supposed to go back every month for the adjustment.

But one day, I chickened out.

"I'll skip this month; I'll just go back next month." I told myself.

I kept postponing.

It took 18 months before I finally had the courage to go back to the dentist. Hahaha!

A few days ago, I opened up to my close friends. I shared with them I really need to go to the dentist.

I also told them how scared I was. (As I'm typing this, I am so nervous! Huhu)

I'm in my 30s and I'm still afraid of the dentist.

My friends didn't laugh at me. Thank God!

In fact, my friend offered to accompany me! How sweet!!! I felt?pampered. (Pamper is my word for the year, by the way).

Lessons I learned which I'd like to share with you are:

1. It's okay to not be confident and courageous all the time. You can be confident in some areas of your life and be afraid in other areas. That's okay!
2. It's okay to be vulnerable and to admit your fears.?(You don't have to be strong all the time).
3. It's okay to ask for help and to?receive?help.
4. Treasure the friends you have. I'm so grateful for my friends!!! :)
5. Be kind to yourself.

Hope our TuesDate inspired you! :)

Have a beautiful week ahead!

Cheers,

Sha

P.S.1?Are you afraid of the dentist, too? Or is there something you're afraid of? It's okay. You got this! We got this!

P.S.2.?We are planning to hold a post-Valentine concert-for-a cause this February. What songs do you want our performers to sing? Who do you want to see perform at the concert? :)