Confidence

I have been told time and time again, if you are selling something, you have to believe in your product and be confident. Confidence, according to Google, is defined as the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust. So, to be confident in yourself and in your product is essentially trusting in you. Now this is just as important for me to hear as it is for some of you. I am my harshest critic. People always compliment me, but a lot of times those compliments go in one ear and out the other. 

Lately I have been practicing having confidence in myself. Why would someone want to buy my product if I don't even believe in my ability to make it? I developed my ideas on how to build confidence from a fitness video. It was basically saying that you need to love yourself exactly how you are right now and grow confidence that way. If you always think you are too fat or what have you, everything is affected by how you view you. The Bible talks about beauty being deeper and having to deal with the soul. I sometimes have to remind myself that I was made in the image of God; He handcrafted me. God doesn't make mistakes. I am not a mistake, and how I look is not a mistake.

So, I have been practicing this same sort of idea with my baking. I know when something I make tastes good. I know when I taste something bad, I can make it better. God gives us gifts to serve. He has given me the gift of combining ingredients together to make things that are just exceptionally tasty. It's like magic flowing hands, and I just have an instinct about when things are done; even if that means it is before the timer going off. The key here is to tell myself that I am great, but be humbled and grateful when I do receive complements. 

I am a great baker. What about you? What is your passion? What is something you are great at? Don't keep putting yourself down when something goes wrong, or you are your own worst critic. You are great too. Share, if you would like, in the comments on what you are great at. I would love to hear. 

Kirsten

Basic Ingredients and their Healthy Substitutes

The four most common ingredients in baking are:

Butter

Eggs

Flour 

Granulated Sugar

But the fact is that most people have dietary limitations. I think that no matter what you are allergic to, or your dietary preferences, you should be able to enjoy a treat every so often. I saw a table on Pinterest about healthy substitutes (here), but I simplified that table and created one myself. It is clear, easy to read, and the measurements are easily converted. 

I haven't figured out how to make classy tables on my computer, but I thought you might enjoy this hand written one. 

 Kirsten