Covered in clay – or shining like gold? Your neighbor three years your junior just got engaged. Your best friend just had her second baby. You have a great job, a vibrant social life, yet you can’t seem to stop the self-doubt that creeps in like a shadow. What am I doing wrong? Am I marriageable? Is everyone else simply better than me?" When Esther was commanded to enter Achashverosh's inner chambers, the pasuk tells us "Vatilbash Esther Malchus". Esther wore royalty. Not Bigdei Malchus, royal clothing, but royalty itself. Malbim explains that her royal appearance transcended her attire. It shone forth in her bearing, her presence, her entire essence. When Esther entered the inner chambers of the king, she was in a low place. It was no secret that entering the king's palace uninvited meant risking death. Yet in that crucial moment, she realized that falling into despair would accomplish nothing. Her calling was to channel her beauty, refinement, and royal demeanor to lift herself up and emerge from the dark circumstances she found herself in. It’s easy to feel buried beneath the weight of our struggles, as if our countless kochos are covered under years worth of hardened clay. But what if we chipped away at those temporary coverings of loneliness, self-doubt, and circumstances that have nothing to do with our true essence? We can't change the plan Hashem has for us, but we can make the choice to stand tall and carry ourselves like the queens we are.