Playlist: Confidence Boost
Dear Charli,
There will be days when you wake up already carrying something heavy. And there will be days when you need to walk into a room, a conversation, or a moment with more confidence than you feel.
On those days, I want you to remember this.
You can change the way you feel. Not by pretending. Not by forcing it. But by giving yourself something to hold onto.
For me, that has often been music.
Not just listening to whatever happens to be on. Choosing it. Curating it. Building what I have come to think of as a soundtrack for my life.
Because the truth is, we are not always at the starting line in the state we need to be. Sometimes we need help getting there.
And music has a way of meeting you exactly where you are, then gently shifting you somewhere new.
Over time, I have built playlists for all kinds of moments.
There is one I call “Backyard Party” that feels like summer evenings and laughter and people lingering longer than planned.
There is one called “Get Moving” that I turn on when I need energy, whether that is for a workout or just getting through a long list of things that need to be done.
And then there is one called “Sorrow and Regret.” Yes, really. And yes, I use it.
I want you to know this too. It is okay to have a playlist for the hard feelings. Sometimes the most honest thing you can do is let yourself sit with them for a while. Not forever. But long enough to acknowledge that they are real.
Music can hold that space for you. It can give shape to feelings that are otherwise hard to name.
And then, when you are ready, you can choose something different.
When I need to believe in myself again, I press play on a playlist I called “Confidence Boost.”
Here are some of the songs that live there:
- Made for This by Carrollton
- Rise Up by Andra Day
- I Am the Fire by Halestorm
- Confident by Demi Lovato
- Trustfall by Pink
- Run the World (Girls) by Beyoncé
- Adventure of a Lifetime by Coldplay
- I’m Still Standing by Elton John
- Not Afraid by Eminem
- Brick by Brick by American Authors
- Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen
If you look closely at these songs, you will notice something.
They are all about choosing to rise.
They do not pretend that things are easy. Many of them start in a place of doubt or struggle. But they do not stay there. They build. They gather strength. They move forward.
There is a kind of momentum in them. The rhythm itself pulls you along. Even if you start out unsure, by the time the song is over, something has shifted.
And the words matter too.
So many of them speak in a way that reminds you who you are. I am. I will. I can. I am still standing.
If you listen to that often enough, it starts to feel true.
So here is what I hope you will do.
Create your own playlists.
Make one for how you feel. Let it be honest. Let it hold whatever is real in that moment.
Make one for what you need. Energy. Calm. Focus. Confidence.
And make one for the moments you are stepping into. The first day of something new. A hard conversation. A long drive. A celebration.
Even the act of creating your playlist, and adding to it over time, can help you notice the themes you want to carry forward and the ones you are ready to let go. That is a quiet but powerful way to begin to name and claim what is yours.
Name your playlists in a way that feels like you. They do not need to be perfect. They just need to be yours.
Because this is one of the ways you can take care of yourself. One of the ways you can meet yourself where you are, and still move forward.
Music will not solve everything. But it can help you carry what feels heavy. It can remind you of your strength. It can help you step into the version of yourself you need to be, even if you are not quite there yet.
So press play, Charli.
And when you do, listen closely.
You might just hear yourself becoming.
Love,
Mom
