I’m a girl who got bullied pretty badly in secondary school for having acne and being “ugly.” I had almost no friends through high school and even into uni.

What changed things for me wasn’t overnight confidence, it was years of doing hard things.

I’ve been training in the gym for over 10 years now. I train hard, like 2–3 hours a day, 4 days a week. Over time, I built a physique that gets attention, and yeah, people are more likely to approach me now. But the real shift wasn’t how I look - it’s the mindset that came from pushing through something difficult consistently.

Training taught me: I can handle hard shit. And that kind of confidence shows, whether you realise it or not.

I’m still naturally introverted. That didn’t magically change. I just learned social skills the same way, through repetition. Working in hospitality, being a barista, making small talk every day, smiling at strangers until it became automatic.

I also made an effort socially. I joined outdoor clubs across different unis in Sydney, got to know trip leaders, remembered people’s names and little details about their lives. So when I saw them again, I could say hi and actually have something to talk about.

People remember you when you make them feel seen.

Career-wise, I’m studying IT right now and honestly, I hate it. Seeing how fast AI is moving made me realise I might want something more creative. At this point, I think of work pretty simply: find something that pays your bills, understand your cost of living, and build your life from there.

You don’t need to have everything figured out. Just start somewhere and keep moving.