seeing a new person in the mirror

She gazes at herself in the mirror, staring at a reflection she can't describe.  Is it a reflection of her true self or just an image of what she thinks is reality?  She scans the curves of her face, of her body, wondering if it's a mind trick, if it's possible to look like this.  
Nothing is ever what we believe.  We trick our minds into believing what we want to believe, or seeing what we want to see, but how do we know when it is real or fake?  It's a matter of training our minds to know the difference, to know how to live free from the false perceptions.  
I am working on changing my perceptions of myself and my life, it's a daily goal and struggle, but one I must free myself of.  I no longer want to see myself for anything but what I really am, a strong, independent, beautiful woman.  I have qualities I should be proud of, qualities and goals I have achieved on my own, with no help from anyone around me.  Goals like finishing my college education, qualities like being honest and a real friend.  I think these are things I should be proud of, and not always put in the background.
So how am I shielded and altering my reality you ask?  Simple, I look in that mirror and only see the things I don't like, I never see the positives.  I make everything negative and I'm tired of it.  I'm tired of hating the world and stupid little things about myself.  It's time to alter my image and make changes for the good, and that is where a new me will emerge....
Upon the birth of the new me, what do I plan to do next?  I plan to remain healthy for the rest of my life, I plan to be positive as much as possible and spread love as much as I can.  Yeah I probably sound hippie like or what not, but if we can't share our love and our passions with others, what's the point of having it.  They say it's contagious, if you are in great mood, it tends to put others in the same mood. So why not make confidence and happiness spread like a wild fire?  I find that each day a new compliment is hard sometimes, but I'm not allowed to continue the day without it.  I need to do what I need to do to make myself more confident, this is just one of the things I am teaching myself.
How do others gain confidence, I'm sure everyone is different.  I'm trying different things so that I can figure out what works best for me.