Look at Me

When I was a little girl, from the time I was in kindergarten until I was in sixth grade, I was on a Junior Jaguar cheer squad with all my friends. We had practice once a week and cheered for football players our age on Saturdays. But once a year, we got to do a clinic with the High School Cheerleaders and perform with them at a football game. That was the cat's meow. Just the way they talked and walked, I didn't know what the word classy meant at the time but if I had, that's what I would have said they were. They were every dream of mine combined and more.

I kept cheering through middle school on both KC Cheer and my school's cheer squad. When it came time for me to try out and live out my dream, I was wearing a boot to protect the ankle I had broken two weeks earlier. But I did everything I could and tried out with every ounce of cheerleader I had in me. But I did not make the team, and I was devestated. I cheered for KC Cheer for one more year and injured my back with a bulging disc at our very last competition.

But, after a year off, I tried out again for my school's cheer squad and made Varsity my first year. I love it more than anything. Last night we had Friday Night Lights with the little girls, and I realized that they look up to me and my team more than anything. We were probably the only people that existed at that point in time, I remember how it was. Now that I'm done writing my novel, here's my point:
It is the best feeling to look down at a little girl that you used to be, and know that she has that same dream that you do. There's nothing better than knowing that you are the role model of a girl somewhere. You don't know how good it feels until you have done what's right to be in that position.

So here's what I'm getting at, if you inspire a child or anyone, really, you deserve to be at the top of the world. But you can't get there by doing what you've always done. You have to go out of your way. Be that girl that steps up and says "I'm going to go the right path and help." or "This is not the right thing to be doing, I'm stepping away from this situation for good."

Be that girl that little girls will look up at you and say "I want to be just like you." It doesn't necessarily come easily, But making that positive reputation for yourself will pay off more than you can imagine in the long run, I am still struggling with changing who I am and how I behave, it's the hardest thing to do.

My Dad says that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing but expecting different results. Going out with your friends every weekend isn't going to bring you any closer to your family. Continuing to be that girl at school who steps out of the box, does the right thing with no intention of drama or trouble, that's a path to follow.

It does not however, come with changing how you like or the things you like, it may have something to do with the people you hang around, I have changed plenty of that in the past couple years and now, I have to 2 best friends a girl could ask for. I have girls that look up to me and people that know me for positive reasons.

As my man Tim Mcgraw says, "I ain't as good as I'm gonna get, but I'm better than I used to be." It will take some time, but the rewards are sweeter than the temporary high in the present.

But remember, You're a Beauty Queen, with a beautiful soul. Now go find it!

Here Goes Nothing...Literally

I guess I'll start by telling you about me, and why I'm doing this. My name is Shelby Rayburn and I am 16 years old. I go to a typical high school in a typical suburb, with my atypical friends; they're my everything. I am a cheerleader, a model, an NHS member, and the web editor for my school yearbook. Needless to say, I have plenty on my plate. Where am I supposed to find time for a blog? Here's where:

I love journalism, I have 3 published articles in a magazine and plenty more in my school's yearbook. I love photo journalism just as much as a I love copy, but being the new web editor this year, I figured it would be more beneficial if I spend a few more hours a week online.

As if I'm not busy enough, I have another plan working in the back of my mind. A plan that God has specifically put there through my own experiences as a teenage girl. Women can speak to girls and empower them all they want, I've been empowered through women and their testimonies. I think it's amazing. But who better knows the current situation of every quote-unquote "outcast" girl out there, better than one herself?

You heard it, I'm different. I'm not popular, I don't have "perfect" hair or "perfect" teeth, and certainly not a "perfect" body. Why put the word Perfect in quotes? here's why...

What is perfect?
Dictionary.com defines it as this:
"Conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type."

Conforming. I would hope you know what this means. simply Changing. Sounds easy. But trust me, I've tried to be this word "perfect" many times. It doesn't work. However, it seems to work for every other girl out there. You know what I'm talking about.

"Why can't my hair be just like hers?
"Why cant I get my makeup to stay on like that?"
"How come you can still see her amazing body in those sweats and mine makes me look like an avocado?"

You've all seen someone and thought this before, am I right? If you think you're not pretty enough, not smart enough, not good enough for that boy you like, not good enough for your parents to appreciate. If you've ever been put down for physical appearance or the way you do something, or if you just do something at all, trust me my friend, the world is not coming to an end. It's mearly starting.

I went through too much in Middle School and the beginning of high school to let anything thoughts similar to mine go through another young girls' mind. I thought I was useless and dumb and never going to make it out of the 8th grade and into high school alive. But it's because I had girls only slightly older than me telling me that I was so much better than I saw myself.

This world of teenagers needs a change. There is no "perfect" until you look in the mirror and see that everything beautiful in your life is standing right in front of you. Believe in God and yourself and trust me, there will be no greater love and no greater gifts in life than what you can take from that relationship.

I'll do my best to blog a couple times a week. Please help me get started by subscribing and feel free to comment or email me with suggestions, concerns, and questions!

You're a beauty queen, and that's all you need to know.