You are You. This is perfect.

“Do not allow others’ opinions of you to define who you already know you are.”

~Rose Noack

Like the reflection of the moon’s light on the water, it is definite. It is a pure reflection and a true reflection of the moon glowing. The moon does not care what others think about its reflection, it just continues to glow and ignites appreciation in the hearts of those who appreciate it for what it is, exactly how it is.

I feel it is important to metaphorically connect this image with how we view ourselves verse how others may view us, or how we think that others view us. I have struggled a large amount of my life (I am 36 years old) feeling my value based on how others viewed me or how I felt that others viewed me until I realized who I am and nothing nor no one will change it and I am proud to be exactly who I am today. Even with all the so-called bad parts of myself, I am pretty awesome, I must say!

I may not be a millionaire nor have my doctorate degree but I am still working on the valuable skills that I have. I may not have the biggest prettiest house out there, but my home keeps me sheltered and close to the ones I love to share my life with on a daily basis. I am not materialistic and I don’t need to be. I am a simple woman, that is another feature that makes me who I am. I like to shop for needs and a few wants, but I am not a huge shopper as most seem to think that ALL women must be. I, however; am not.

Here are some questions to help you self-address whether or not you have been allowing too many opinions of others to cloud your thoughts of yourself (and quite frankly…kill the positive vibes you truly need):

How many times recently have you looked into a mirror and thought something positive? It should be every time you look into the mirror (even the smallest of positive thoughts).

When you achieve a goal, do you celebrate your success or do you focus on what you haven’t achieved yet? It is okay and healthy to celebrate your own success, even if no one else is celebrating with you.

Have you caught yourself thinking, I wished I looked like that? I wished I had that kind of vehicle? I wished that I was that thin? I wished I had her colored eyes or his muscles? The comparison game is a vicious cycle that harms good self-esteem in a huge way, it needs to stop, you deserve better.

There are a million ways that each of us could pick ourselves apart by simply allowing the world around us and those around us to cloud the thoughts of the beautiful person we are all on our own. It is not fun being the person who picks themselves apart, because, after a while it becomes constant. I mean non-stop.

I know, I have been there and I have worked extremely hard to heal from that mind-frame. I must say that I have done a fantastic job at recognizing it in order to fix the problem and this is part reason why I write this for you to read. Whether you are a male or female, admitted or not, we have compared ourselves to others at some point in our lives. This is kind of expected on occasions and is normally due to social norms and culture. However; it is not normal to constantly think negatively of yourself based on what someone else may have said, expects from you, thinks about you, and such.

Here are some quick tips to beginning to remove negativity and bring more positive into your thoughts and life are below:

1. Erase the negativity from your life as much as possible (sometimes this could mean cutting certain people out of your life, unfortunately).

2. Set-Up Clear Boundaries for yourself and others (if they respect you and your wishes, boundaries will not be a problem for the other party to listen to and take seriously, after all, boundaries are super healthy and super important to your health).

3. Do daily affirmations of positive thinking (state positive things about yourself in the mirror out loud at least two times a day or more).

4. Write positive sticky notes to yourself such as “You are beautifully unique!” and place them on your mirrors (at home or in the car or wherever you feel like placing them so you can see them every day and frequently).

I hope that this blog and these tips can inspire you to be happier by BEING just YOU despite the things your mind may tell you or say or what others may make you feel in a negative way. It is a journey and a process for certain to fight but I have done it and I’m extremely proud of the successes I’ve had despite any setbacks I may have.

Also, as I have said in other blogs I have written, it is very beneficial to write or blog. You don’t have to write publically at all either, it can all remain private for your eyes only unless you decide to venture out to publishing your blogs as I have.

I hope this blog aids you to work toward a more positive mind, body, and soul for yourself. You deserve it!