Rolene Strauss shares some insights from her new book

Rolene Strauss says seeing her book on the shelves is a feeling she can’t really describe. But, she also says it comes with a bit of anxiety as she wonders how people will receive it.

Due to being teased about her hair at school, Miss World 2014’s beautiful brunette curls stole her confidence from a young age.

“I tried to fit into the world’s picture of the perfect model or the perfect girl with long, sleek hair,” she says.

“And since I have rediscovered by self-confidence and realised that I am who God made me to be, and that I shouldn’t try to fit into someone else’s picture of perfect, I decided that every time I curl my hair, it’s almost like a promise I make to myself to accept myself for who I am and to have self-confidence in who God wanted me to be.”

ALSO READ: How to get bouncy curls like Rolene Strauss

Hence, she flaunts her curls proudly on the cover of her new book, Rediscover Your Self-Confidence, which is all about learning to be comfortable with who you are.

She has just completed her masters’ thesis, which she says is in line with her first book, while focusing more on female leaders and the challenges they face in the corporate world.

Rolene’s picture of perfect

For Rolene, there is no such thing as perfect.

“I am happy when I have clarity about my values, clarity about what God plans for my life, and when I give my best in everything I do daily to live out my values, to reach my full potential and the purpose for which God placed me in life.”

She says her picture of perfect is to be aware of God’s plan for her life and to constantly strive toward reaching her full potential within God’s will.

Cultivating self-confidence

The beauty queen has not always been so self-confident and says the turning point came in her final year as medical student, while she was juggling the multiple responsibilities of a long-distance marriage, having a new-born baby and studying.

“I realised that there must be more to life than trying to be perfect all the time and trying to fit into what the world tells you to be, say and look like.”

According to Rolene, you shouldn’t look for your worth in how you look, but rather in who you are. She says clarity about your value system is key to prevent external factors from influencing your self-confidence.

“When you know what is important to you and use that value system as a set of rules in your everyday life, you start finding your self-confidence when you keep to those rules and when you live out that value system.”

Self-confidence is not something you’re born with, but rather a skill that you can master, says the beauty queen, who is now also a speaker and coach.

“The interesting thing about self-confidence as a skill is that it lets your other skills shine even brighter. It’s not selfish to have self-confidence; in fact, it is the most unselfish thing out there, because your God-given talents, skills and potential can shine so much brighter when you develop self-confidence as a skill.”

Rolene’s book

In her book, Rediscover Your Self-confidence, she shows the reader how to develop self-confidence step by step.

She also mentions four sources of self-confidence in the book and says there are many small things you can do daily to help you grow your self-confidence. From small daily goals and the right role models in life, to physical and spiritual health and choosing your words carefully.

Rolene’s advice to moms who want to teach their children to grow up confidently is to focus compliments on personal qualities rather than appearance.

2022 and beyond

With 2021 being a very busy and productive year for Rolene and her husband, Daniel, she says they’ll be focusing their energy on only a few very important things in 2022.

“We will definitely continue with our Breakthrough Intensive seminars and mentorship programme – something Daniel and I do together and enjoy very much – and then I have a couple of interesting projects concerning online courses with incredible people in mind for 2022.”

There is hope for another book, too, although there are no fixed plans, and she says it might just revolve around how women can develop their leadership skills to ensure that they reach their full potential.