Archive for the 'Expectations: Dare To Be YOU!' Category
By Charlene M Brown
If you’re like most families, you have family issues that never seem to go away. It might be the drunken uncle who speaks his mind at the family reunions, the player who brings his girlfriend instead of his wife, or it may be something like a don’t ask, don’t tell policy on all family business.
By Charlene M Brown
Have you ever listened to one of your girlfriends knowing it wasn’t the best thing for YOU to do!? Or maybe you have a girlfriend who is always advising you to do things that are for HER benefit and not your own!?
By Charlene M Brown
Every single action you take is to get attention!
Now hear me out on this one:
Whether it is coloring your hair or wearing those infamous skinny jeans or wearing bright blue eye shadow, every single thing we do is to grab attention.
Working from home, I make it a point to leave my house at least once a day. Often, when I don’t have business to conduct, this is taking a walk around my neighborhood.
Today, I was people watching and taking notice of all the things they did to get attention. Some had tattoos, some had sassy denim skirts, some dyed their hair blonde, or brown, or shocking pink. I was noticing all the little details, from the mundane, to the extravagant.
Of course we all notice the guy with the shocking pink Mohawk! That is clearly the intent, whether conscious (“I really want people to notice me”) or subconscious (“I’m just doing Me”).
But all of the subtler things that we do, whether it is wearing a pin in support of breast cancer, or lining our eyes with our favorite “Smoke” colored liner, these are to get attention too, perhaps in a different way.
Smokers are trying to draw the attention of other smokers (“Can I get a light?”). Bikers—whether riding Hogs or earth-friendly cyclists—are trying to draw the attention of other bikers.
And so it goes.
But what’s really so wrong with this? We all want to be noticed, right!?
Right! But like any good marketing scheme, it’s all in the packaging!
Ladies (I know Fellas, some of you read this too), we do so many little things to get someone else’s attention, whether it is that hot guy who lives across the hall or your parents who are always making little remarks about this or that, we are always trying to “fix” ourselves.
Guess What!!!!? YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE FIXED!
That’s right, “You are a brilliant piece of architecture whole unto yourself, and you Do Not Need To Be Fixed!” (~Debbie Ford, The Right Questions)
Don’t worry about dying your hair (you’re literally killing it as the name implies), focus on making your natural color healthy.
Don’t worry about what color eyeliner to wear, focus on eating foods that make your eyes the picture of health.
Stop worrying about the clothes that make you feel funky, put your efforts into being funky in your clothes. And in your own skin!
Just imagine all of the companies that would go out of business if we weren’t always trying to “fix” ourselves! Cosmetic companies, clothing companies, plastic surgery offices, silicone companies, the list goes on!
So YES! Absolutely! We are all trying to get attention in one way or another. But what about trying to get attention for just being your wonderful, natural self? Why put on the airs and make the fuss pretending to be something you’re not!?
Why not just be your wonderful, natural great, perfect SELF! (Safely Encouraging to Love Me First!)
Happy SELF to You!
Do You Love Your Life Now!? I DO!! (Because I love My S.E.L.F.!)
By Charlene M. Brown
Does that old Bruce Springsteen song come to mind? In it he talks about trying to get back to a time ubiquitously BEFORE, when life was much simpler and happier!
By Charlene M Brown
Do you ever feel like throwing in the towel? Just Giving up? Hopping on a train or plane and not looking back. Leaving everything behind you and starting over!
Charlene M. Brown
Who has pushed you in your life? And I’m not talking about your sister or brother who pushed you down the stairs. I’m talking about, Who, in your Life, has challenged you to push the envelope, made you go a little bit further than you thought you could?
By Charlene M. Brown
Do you read Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels? These laugh out loud, slap your knee, tears in your eyes stories about the crazy adventures of bounty hunter Stephanie Plum can teach us a thing or two about how to be ourselves. Odd as it may seem to use this wacky bounty hunter as a comparison, she is certainly a good example of “Doing You.”
By Charlene M. Brown
Who inspired you when you were little? Was it your mother or some superhero (or maybe your mother was the superhero)? Was it a teacher or a religious figure? Or maybe it was a favorite writer or a famous actress or singer. Whoever it was, I am willing to bet that when you were little, there was someone who you wanted to be just like. So you emulated her-you took her habits and characteristics and made them your own.