I’m good enough. I’m smart enough. And, by gosh, I deserve it!

The key thing to remember is to know who you are and understand who you can be. Never let the opinions of others define for you who you are or what you can or cannot do. Although other people may sometimes know you well, they can never know you completely. You know who you are, and what is in your heart, and what you're willing to do. No opinion from someone else has the power to hold you back.
Pay attention to what others say if you think it could be of use. Seek to understand and to make yourself understood as well as you possibly can. Yet always keep in mind the person who knows most about you is you. You know what you can do, and you know why you're doing it, even if no one else understands.
The hurtful, limiting comments say more about the people who make those comments than they say about you. Whatever they may say, you know who you are. Move on confidently forward, knowing you are doing the best you can.
The things you possess can be lost or taken from you in an instant. Yet the person you become will be with you always. What you accumulate, even under the best of circumstances, is usually yours for a limited time only. Yet, what you give will always be a part of you.
If your desires are petty, limited and selfish, the world will always seem to be cold and mean. Expand your priorities beyond the superficial concerns, and suddenly you'll see life in a whole new, bright and shining light.
When you put your efforts into who you can be and what you can do, rather than just on what you can have, something amazing happens. Suddenly, instead of fighting against each moment, each person, each situation, you're flowing powerfully along with them all.
If your goal is only to acquire, then whatever you get loses meaning as soon as you get it. Yet when you seek to become, to do, to give, you enter a realm of ever-increasing fulfillment.
The more you give of yourself, the more of yourself there is to give, to live, to experience and enjoy.
If it seems like I’m dwelling on your perception of you more than I should, you’d be right. I can’t emphasize how important it is for you to believe in yourself before your social skills can really flourish. The Value of You can’t be stressed enough.

Author's Bio: 

Joe Kahler is an expert on helping young adults successfully transition from home to being “out on their own". His latest work has recently been assembled in his book, Out On My Own…Now What? Tips and Insights So You Won’t Be Left Hanging in the “Real World"! (It has already received the Mom’s Choice Award and the Family Choice Award.) Go to http://www.outonmyown.com to learn more.