[how to] Accept Who You Are

via thought catalog

Know yourself. Watch for the things that most heavily lift or sink your heart. These are the markers of who you are. Look at your qualities objectively, especially when they are less than appealing, these are just as important as the great things about you are. Don’t work on accepting the person you project to other people.

Be ready to be vulnerable and imperfect. You don’t have to like your imperfections, but you do have to be able to sit with them, acknowledge them and embrace that they are present in you for one reason or another. Dig and find the root of what cultivated them. Work on undoing what needs to be undone; work on being better.

This self-acceptance business is not an excuse to be a terrible person. If being yourself means this, you will deal with the consequences of your actions in due time. Don’t think that because you are “being yourself” you are excused from anything that is derogatory toward or detrimental to someone else.

Know that you are or will be loved for the things you find unlovable. Some things I’ve loved most about people are the things they’ve later said to be most self-conscious of. The ways in which you don’t fit into the mold of a socially-generated-perfect-human are the ways in which you are unique and they are the things about you that the right people will be most enamored by.

Baby steps. Don’t expect anything immediately and be good to yourself for trying. Overhauling your entire life in a day will not end well, go ahead and try if you don’t believe me.

Understand that a large element of this is choice. While I don’t believe you can change who you innately are, I do believe that you can choose to take life from the perspective of your best self. Choose to do that. Choose to keep going even when challenges arise. Choose to forgive yourself for your moments of indiscretion.

Realize you are not the summation of your past. It is part of you, it is your story, and it has helped craft you, but it is not who you innately are. You can always choose differently. You are a beautiful person for admitting that you are only human and you’ve done wrong, but you’re working on it.

Live Life Totally Alive

If you surrender to the universe, humble yourself in knowing that all things happen for a reason, and all things come to you in divine order, then you can flow through your life with ease and grace, and all these will come to you. Your debts canceled, your wounds healed, your apologies accepted, your generosity expanded, your love educated, your desires clarified, your untold stories heard, your insight heightened, your load lightened, your wildness rejuvenated, your leaks plugged, your courage stoked, your fears dissolved, your imagination fed. Isn't it time to live life totally alive with wonder, joy, peace, and happiness?

--- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, a German philosopher, whose critiques of contemporary culture, religion, and philosophy centered on a basic question regarding the foundation of values and morality. (wiki)

   

Summer-time

My little girl will be 4 months old this April – no idea where the time went. Adjusting to motherhood was much easier a transition than I’d anticipated. Either that or I just got lucky with my munchkin, but every parent says that. I have little to no time for much of anything anymore, but it doesn’t even occur to me until the dishes are piled up in the sink or I look at my phone with 10+ missed calls/texts, etc. There aren’t enough hours in the day with her, and I hate it. I could literally sit and watch her grow – I’m getting anxiety just thinking of how quickly these 4 months have passed by. So to spare some extra time, here are a few quick updates, a video, and some of my favorite photos of Summerlin (Facebook friends, apologies for the repeat overload).

 

>>> Summerlin Olivia (after the Olive tree. I wanted her middle name to be Rain or Olive, but Branden said it was too hippy) Grant was born on Saturday, December 1^st, 2012. She was a little over a week late, had to be induced (last thing I wanted – did everything I could to avoid it. Felt like the midwives were rushing her out), actual labor felt like forever; we were exhausted. Only pushed for 14 minutes. Hospital food was delicious, couldn’t get enough of the brownies. Branden took too many photos of my backless hospital gown when I kept forgetting to wear undies.

 

>>>Summer is named after the street Branden and I spent our first date, had our first kiss, and fell in love on. We visited the street frequently throughout our first 2 years together. He came up with her name one night while we were lying in bed.

 

>>>She has fire in her heart, I tell ya. That girl is going to change the world, I can see it in her eyes.

 

>>>We read every night. It’s a good thing I’m a great dancer (lies) because I interpret-dance the majority of the books we read (not meant for entertaining adults, so I make my own entertainment). She giggles – loves her mama.

 

>>>Ticklish under her armpits – laughs like an old man; funniest thing ever.

 

 

… Until next time, friends.

 

Happy St. Patty's Day Video (click to view)

Fave photos of Summerlin (click to view)