This International Women's Day, while celebrating accomplishments and contributions of women, I wanted to work on practicing self-love, learning to accept my imperfections, and gaining more confidence.

Lisha Perez was speaking to a room full of dozens of girls, ages 11 to 18, from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

The mission of the workshop, Perez explained, was to teach girls how to change the way they see themselves and imagine their full potential. To kick things off, she asked them to write down a life experience that's impacted the way they feel about themselves today.

So after the girls had written their negative experiences, Jess Weiner and Dascha Polanco asked them to imagine alternate endings.

In pairs, the girls stood up and reenacted times when hurtful comments were made about their weight, hair, height, chest size, walk, and more. One girl played the role of the bully, and this time, instead of remaining silent, the other girl spoke up for herself.

"What was the point of you saying that? That was rude," one girl responded after hearing the words You're really skinny and I don't like it said to her again.

To further improve your self-esteem, Polanco suggested cutting down on technology and social media usage.

Instead of spending hours staring at screens, go out and live your lives. Hang with friends, talk with other women who've struggled with self-esteem, and build each other up. Try using technology and social media to obsess over things that make you happy, and consider making a Twitter list of people who inspire you.

Read the full article on developing self-esteem by Nicole Gallucci at Mashable