You v.s. Yourself

I used to always think that who I am is just who I am, but then I found out what self-betterment is.

It's the hardest thing to do. We want to just say "that's just how I am", but why not be the better you? You can't have someone do it for you, you are the only one that can do it. 

Everyone has their own idea of how they want to change, but for some, it never stops. Some may be working on bettering themselves for the rest of their lives, but that's not sad, that's good! You are pushing your self to do better and be better. That's always a good thing! 

It may seem like "I don't want to spend the rest of my life working on myself", but I think once you come across  bettering yourself, you won't want to stop. And it's not changing who you are, it's just making who you are even more amazing than before. 

"The only person you should try to be better than, is the person you were yesterday." -Unknown

Salute to Freedom

Freedom is a pretty awesome thing in America that is easy to take for granted. It is human nature to get comfy and forget just how many liberties we have that we don't think twice about. Not so in many other parts of the world. While we can't always do much to change situations out of our control, we can support those whom protect our country. Quite honestly, I wouldn't want the job, and probably couldn't handle it, but sure am glad there are those that do. Our country is far from perfect and has issues galore, but it doesn't change the fact that there are many in our communities that go to work everyday to fight and defend and I salute all those that protect our freedom everyday. 

"A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes"

Let your dreams become a reality for you. Pretty much everyone has a specific dream for themselves, but not everyone makes it come true. You can though. Determination and believing in yourself are the keys to your dreams. 

Some people think their dreams may just be too big and that they can never achieve them, but everyone can! Who says you can't make your dreams come true? If anyone does, don't listen to them. If you work hard enough and really push yourself to get that dream of yours, you will have that dream in your hands.

Don't let yourself think, "I can't do it", you can! No matter what, if you honestly want it, you can do it. Ignore all of the people that think differently, and go for it. There are no limits for yourself, you can do and achieve anything. 

Think about it. What if you could be living your dream right now? Wouldn't that be nice? I know all of you said yes, so make it happen! Make your dreams come true.

Don't Forget To Breathe

Do you ever just get so worked up, so busy, that you forget to stop and just take a breath? I am someone always filled with a bunch of energy( for which I am usually thankful for) but it also comes with a large, unwanted dose of anxiety to go with it. I have been trying to step back and take those breaths, easier said than done. But just simply stopping and enjoying the moment is part of what life is about. I sometimes get frustrated with people always telling me to take it more slowly and sometimes I am simply envious of them that they can accomplish what I often struggle with. I wonder if others think this way? If you do, then I hope you join me, just take a deep breath and try again. 

For the Birds

Do you ever watch the birds? It sounds corny, but just take a moment and watch them. They are simple creatures apparently enjoying life with no worries. I'll be honest, there has been plenty of times I have envied them, wishing I wasn't strapped down by worries and responsibilities. They simply live each day to enjoy and take care of their own.  I wondered, while I might not be able to spread wings and join them, why couldn't I live more like them? Why do I, just because I am human, have to choose to live with worry and stress? Why do I put myself through it when I can choose to live more simply? I know life is not always easy nor can I be irresponsible, but I can destress my life and choose to live differently. Take a moment and enjoy the simple pleasures around us every day, the things we pass by because we are so busy with life. 

Bamboo Tree

With having a friend recently commit suicide, I keep coming back to writing about it. When you bury someone you expect people to put away the tears and sorrow and move on. But there is no stopwatch on grief, no timetable that says how long you are allowed before you are suppose to move on and put your feelings in a box on the closet shelf. While you eventually move on, don't feel pressured to do so before you're ready. When you lose someone, you will forever feel the pain, but time really does help make the pain to a dull ache or even a distant cavity filled with bittersweet memories. I don't know if the body just needs time to heal or if it is a survival mechanism, knowing we could not survive forever with such raw pain, but it will get better. If you are ever feeling like  that you can't go on because of the pain, then find someone to talk you, to help you back on the right path. Don't you dare give up! Did you know that the bamboo tree, while not always big, can spring back after facing great adversaries, survive devastating storms and still be a beacon of hope and fortune? You are like the bamboo, while you may never be the same, you will be stronger and can survive and even thrive.

 

Peace and Serenity

You often hear about Peace around the Holidays or if you go to church, but it's much more important and needed a lot more often than just around a kindling fire with a cup of hot cocoa. According to the good old dictionary( anyone even have a paper copy anymore?) it means: peace is a state of serenity, tranquility. I really have to go searching for this commodity! Do you ever notice in communities when we have a great tragedy how people often come together for comfort and solace in each other? We could have been fighting like cats and dogs last week but somehow that doesn't matter anymore? It was just stupid stuff that was petty and we can instantly learn what matters to us. If you think back to the Twin Towers tragedy(I think if you are old enough, you will forever remember where and what you were doing that day) do you remember how much nicer we were to each other? An extra smile or a kind word for a stranger? We were all a little scared and forever scarred from the events, but together we overcame it and found peace through it. You may not always feel the peace, in between carpool, work, and all the crazy and wonderful stuff that makes up life, but never lose it. 

Just The Right Size

Are you like me and when you are wearing your "fat outfit", you are feeling way more dismal than when you are looking good in those "skinny jeans"? As a woman, I have long lived with the stereotypes, cattiness, and obsessiveness over weight and what is looking back in the mirror. As an American culture, it seems almost a given that this is a normal topic for teens, young adults, and women of almost any age. If we are skinny we tend to want some curves, and if we are curvy we desire the size 2. I am very guilty of these feelings, even if I find myself building up others, I am quick to cut myself down about it. Whatever happened to being confident with the body that you have? And keeping it healthy, whether you are a size double zero, a plus size, or somewhere in between?  If I don't like the way I look then I can do somethings to improve it, but I know it should be healthy , smart, and not consume me. I have recently decided to trim down a little bit of those extra curves, and it's a choice I made on my own. However, there was this little thought in the back of mind that if I lived in a society where we did not feel compared to Barbie and Ken, would I feel so inclined to be weight conscious? As a nation, we are overweight, but is that because we are lazy or just so obsessive about weight that we tend to overeat because we are so focused on food, body types and the depression that can coincide? I'm going to keep working on it, but I am going to do it because I feel better when I am healthy and not because someone I don't even know says I should look a certain way. 

Excited About Excitement

Every once in a while (maybe more often) we have something we get excited about. It could be a vacation, an event, or maybe even just a day off.  Enjoy those moments. 

We get excited because maybe it's something different from our normal routines or maybe it's just something fun, whatever it is, it's okay to get excited. We should not only enjoy the things we look forward to, but the excitement before hand. That's what makes it so great! 

Get excited! Enjoy the feeling of being so happy even though you aren't to the thing you're looking forward to yet. I love the feeling before I go on a trip, I even love packing because I'm thinking about the trip ahead of me. 

So even if you have something planned a year from now, get excited and spend the year enjoying the feeling and the fun times to come. And if you have something planned soon, have fun! 

Go For It

One of my favorite quotes is from Twain:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” However, the quote doesn't describe me by any means whatsoever. I always play it safe, am kind of boring and rarely take chances. I think we often admire what we aren't and most want to be. This quote is a reminder to me to always go for your dream. Whether you're scared, indecisive, or not even sure what that dream is yet. Don't miss out, because while I love being my super non-risky self, I also don't want to live with what-if's and should-of's.

You Have A Purpose

I went to a funeral of a friend last week and saw all the faces of people he knew and whom were touched by him. We go through the motions and say all the appropriate things and then expect to go on our merry way with a sense of closure because we had a funeral. While I know it does give us a time to say our goodbyes, it doesn't seem to be real and maybe it never will be. Losing a friend by suicide leaves too many open wounds, unanswered questions, and what-if's. I honestly think just about everyone has had a thought of suicide pass through their mind, even if not considered, so why is it such a taboo subject? Maybe if as a society we spoke out more about suicide then we would be more willing to talk about it. It is always in hindsight that we figure out we need to "fix" things, we make action plans or new processes so a tradegy doesn't happen again. But how can you fix something when it's too late? There is no way to bring him back but I also don't want it to happen to someone else. His life was not meaningless and no one will know how many lives he made for the better, but it was cut much too short. Don't let it be too late, if you are thinking about suicide, don't be afraid to ask for help! You are loved, special and you have a purpose!

Just Be Nice

Whenever I watch or read the news I can easily get a bit depressed by all the bad out there. Young girls disappearing, senseless attacks, and horrible things that you just have to ask why?? Sometimes I forget to look for the good and sometimes I really have to look for it, but it is still out there. And maybe even closer than we realize. Someone opening a door, a person giving change for the meter, letting a car out in front of you. Truly little things that can really put a smile on your face and know that there is still hope for this crazy but wonderful human race. Simply being kind to others not only can make someone else's day go better, it also makes you feel better too. I just want to stop, take a breath,  and try being a little nicer to those I meet. I always loved this song( even though I knew he had a bigger heart than I and must have seen the good in everything) so I posted it below. If you get a chance, play it. Even if you have heard it a million times it is still sure to bring a smile to your face and know that it truly is a wonderful world. 

http://youtu.be/E2VCwBzGdPM

Watch Your Step

I heard today a story from a business man's point of view about climbing the corporate ladder. His take was how we sometimes have to step on people if we want to get ahead in life and that's just how it is if you want to succeed. I have often heard this view, as most of us probably have, it is the world we live in. My thought was - when did this become the norm? When we just do a shake of our shoulders and move on when we see or hear something that is not right? It's easy to say I'll never be that way, but I also don't want to become immune to it because what will that make me?
If I have to run over people on the path to success then I think I will just take another path. It doesn't mean that I don't want to get ahead or be successful. But I also want to be able to hold my head high and know I got there because I worked hard, did what was right, made good choices and learned from it when I didn't. 

Wait a Minute

I love planning. So much, that I like to plan not only the near future but my entire life. I'll even plan other people lives if they let me! I get so busy on what should or shouldn't be that I tend to forget about the here and now. Life is a journey sounds like such a cliche but sure has a lot of truth. I get so caught up with plans, goals and accomplishments that I can miss the joys of what is right before us. Life can go by so quickly, don't look back with regrets. Plan for tomorrow but make time for today because it will be tomorrow soon enough. 

Helping Hand

Today I was laying by the neighborhood pool, and we have a lawn service crew who were doing their weekly yard work. One was planting new flowers near the pool, and a full tray of flowers fell over. I would have gotten up and helped, but I was on the opposite side of the pool, and a man had already came to help him.

The point is I was happy to see someone helping him out. I love seeing people help others. Sometimes you don't have to say anything to be nice, sometimes it's our actions that speak for us.

It is so amazing to see people helping others, no matter how often it's seen. Just remember how one little helping hand from you can go a long way for someone else.