Mary J. Blige Shares Mirror Habit That Helped Improve Her Self-Esteem

Nine-time Grammy Award-winning musician and actress Mary J. Blige once struggled with her self-esteem at some point in her career. However, Blige is now in a much better place and revealed how she got to where she is in a recent interview.

Amid her achievements, the star noted that she would have been more successful than she currently is if she believed in herself enough. The Emmy award winner and two-time Oscar nominee also praised herself for how much work she'd put into being successful.

While she didn't think she deserved them before, Blige now wants all the gifts and accolades for her effort after learning to love herself. The Queen of Hiphop and Soul also plans to focus on herself from now on and remain happy. 

Keep reading to know more.

The "Power Book II: Ghost" star, who got five Grammy nominations this year, opened up to People magazine about some issues she faced earlier in her career. To build her self-esteem, Blige began to say encouraging things to herself in the mirror every morning.

Sometimes, the star would say, "Good morning, gorgeous," which inspired the name of her most recent album. Blige also recalled doing the mirror routine even while feeling sleepy. "Sometimes my eyes are all closed up, but I strain to see myself."

She noted that she is deserving of love whether or not she looked pretty enough or earned an award nomination. "I do it in my prayer time. There's no makeup, no nominations for an award. It's just me and God". While she only started the routine to encourage herself, the 52-year-old got used to it and continued for a long time.

In her interview with People, Blige noted that she was proud of her progress as she didn't believe that she would keep up with the mirror routine. "The beauty of being able to say, 'I appreciate my life.' To look in the mirror, my eyes are half closed, and say something to myself that I never even believed."

She added, "It's not about the vanity of it, it's about how we're strengthened. no one can love me like me. Nobody can." The star, who has released 15 albums in the four decades of her music career, will return for season three of the Starz show "Power Book II: Ghost" in February.

She also recently concluded a tour for her "Good Morning, Gorgeous" album, which dropped in February last year. In response to how she managed both her music and acting career, she noted, "I" ve been doing this for a minute, I'm no rookie." She also now believes in herself more than ever before.

Referring to her recently bagged Grammy nominations, Blige noted that she was ready to "receive all the gifts" for her effort. The 52-year-old, who also earned a Billboard Music Icon Award in 2022 and an Emmy Award for her performance at the Super Bowl, praised herself for her achievements.

The singer then explained that it was formerly hard to accept the praise since she didn't love herself. "I can accept it all with humility and with confidence because I've been working so hard all my life — really, really hard. But I wasn't able to see the good things until I really got my head together and my life together."

The "Here With Me" singer, who recalled going through tough times in her career, was proud of how far she had come in the industry. She noted how hard it was to pull herself away from substance abuse. Blige recalled going through a serious heartbreak which she is proud to have come out of.

"I didn't care about myself, I didn't love myself. You get what you're giving yourself." While she isn't seeing anyone at the time, she is in a much better place than she was before. The singer intends to fully recover and focus on being the best version of herself.

She noted, "Mary J. Blige is happy. Happy with herself and happy with her life." Blige also plans to "give herself" all the time and energy she needs to keep improving day by day. "I'm getting it all."