EMBRACE the you in yourself

October 8, 2018
It took me years to be okay with the fact that I will never have blonde hair and be a size 2. I was exhausted over comparing myself to others, somehow thinking the world expected me to be someone else. Why do we do that to ourselves? I questioned things that were out of my control and I was tired of it. It’s ok to be me, but I want to be the best me I can be.

In my 20s I started to appreciate who I was and work on who I wanted to be. I wanted to have fun, be a good friend to my peeps, I wanted to read and write and absorb all things, be positive, live in the moment, do the right thing, create adventures, follow my heart, and accept myself without hesitation. I worried about everyone else before I worried about me. It was time to put me first and then I knew I could give back with a bigger heart to those around me.
I remember the first time I met my husband. All eyes were on us. It was like someone put us in a psychology experiment. We were at a mutual friend’s house for a football game. The whole thing was planned just to get us to meet each other. Everyone wanted to coordinate who was where and get us to talk to each other. Nothing natural about it. Eventually we were on a couch looking through photo albums and we laughed at how ridiculous and obvious they had made this match making thing. I immediately felt comfortable with him. Within minutes of couch time conversation, we drowned out the whispering voices of everyone else who filled the room like no one else was there. We really connected. Soon after, we began dating and I quickly felt safe. The best part was…..I felt that it was ok to be me. I never felt judged. I didn’t question who I should be, I just let myself be me. I embraced me! And voila, here we are still married 15 years later.
Do we let ourselves feel that comfortable with someone else because that is actually how we feel about ourselves at that point in life, or do we feel that way because someone else made us feel that way. Was it chemistry or was it that I was finally comfortable with myself and happy?
I reflect back to see how far I had come. I used to fill my thoughts with worry over what others thought I should or shouldn’t do, act, behave, or who I should date. I was finally at the point in life where I learned enough to trust myself a little more and make my own decisions. I learned to stop thinking everyone was out to get me. I now know that no one thinks about you as much as you think they do. We let our own negative talk get into our heads. I soon learned as hard as it is sometimes to trust myself, it gives you a fantastically therapeutic freedom to make your own decisions on your own terms. It was no longer exhausting. As long as you’re honest with yourself, and do the right thing, you can embrace YOU!!!
So I challenge you to be honest with yourself, and accept who you are. If you yourself want to make some adjustments, that’s ok too. I believe progress is perfection. We are always learning and growing. I also believe that we grow our confidence when we try something new, take on new challenges, learn a new skill, and make new friends. Think YOLO. Embrace you, embrace life, and embrace opportunity. I would love to hear what you are doing to grow your confidence!!!