Did you ever feel at some point in your  life that you were capable of anything? That you could kick ass and take names, were on top of the world, and were hot shit (in a totally self-confident way, not an arrogant, preening sort of way). Maybe it was when you were five and you were the center of the neighborhood social circle. Maybe it was when you were 15 and people said you looked like George Clooney or Princess Grace. Maybe it was when you were just out of college and had 12 job offers. Can you remember that feeling?

But somewhere along the way, many of us lose that belief in ourselves, who we are at the core, that we’re special and infinitely capable. We get subsumed into the opinions of everyone and everything around us – college professors, well-meaning relatives, reality TV, advertising for the latest diet, potion, perfume, purse or makeup fad (eyelash extensions or tattooed eyebrows, anyone?).

And slowly, that inner cheerleader gets quieter and quieter, drowned out by all the external opinions and criticism, eventually falling silent. Meanwhile, we try harder and harder to measure up, but it never works, no matter how relentlessly we push ourselves. Frankly, if we ever spoke to anyone else like we do to ourselves, our mothers would wash our mouths out with Lifebuoy soap. Twice.

It’s time to bring back that inner cheerleader. Someone who screams wildly at your victories and continues to root loudly even when you miss the field goal and feel like crawling under the bench. Someone who urges you on, who believes in you NO MATTER WHAT.

So, dust off those pom poms and become your own biggest fan again.