{A New You?} Why?!

So just a little food for thought today. Why start the new year off by reinventing yourself and becoming a "new you?" Have you ever heard that phrase? From facebook statuses to news media and again on talk shows, people have been discussing how 2010 is going to be so fantastic because they are changing "x" and "y" and focusing on "z". And I am so guilty!

I really went into the new year telling myself that this was the year that I took control of my depression. This was the year that I wasn't going to let the still overwhelming sadness I get everyday, from the loss of an amazing woman, my mother, keep me in a state of depression. This was the year that I was going to get back down to my super confident, sexy, skinny self (have you seen my H.S. senior photos?! - Dad, I know, you about had a cow when you saw me in my yellow bikini on top of a red viper). And as I was running 2 miles tonight, determined to become my inner skinniness, I stopped dead on and thought, "why?" As in, why am I thinking this way?

I started thinking about what made me want to change "me" and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I want to EMBRACE ME, not change me. I am looking at everything in my life very differently from this moment on. Not only am I going to stop changing myself, I am going to start embracing myself and all that I have to offer. And one thing I've always loved doing was helping others. And that's what I'm going to continue to do as this year passes. Embrace everything that comes my way, not look at anything in a negative or displeasing light and just LIVE the way we all should live.

If you are feeling bad about yourself or feeling sorry for yourself, take a moment to ask why and then start embracing who you are. With that huge reality check, should come amazing things. Not because you are looking for them and striving to change to make them happen, but because you are instead embracing yourself, embracing all your innermost thoughts and feelings and really start to think of others first. You'll feel good and feeling good always leads to positive actions. ALWAYS.

I want to take a moment to thank my husband and brother-in-law for something they did for me this past spring. They were at a police auction and I just started showing an interest in photography, literally a few weeks into it, and they saw a camera and 3 lenses for sale, along with a crazy big flash. Bless their heart, they didn't realize I was using a digital camera, not film, but made the purchase anyway. I received my new camera and all these truly amazing lenses and then sat puzzled as to why they wouldn't work on my dSLR. (Yup, true rookie right there). I packed up all the stuff and put it into storage, knowing I would never get any use for it.


What I now realize is that I never thanked them (I mean I said thank-you of course), I mean really thanked them. That was truly a selfless, amazing thing they did for me that day. My brother in law made the winning bid of $90 and my husband paid for it and I smile as I look at this camera and 3 fabulous lenses. They made me feel great, for no other reason than just to make me smile. I love you both for that. THANK YOU.

I hopped on the net just now and googled "helping others" and one article caught my eye. I'd like to share a little bit of this article with you and hope that when you've finished reading it, you are inclined to help someone else today and maybe, just maybe, you'll start thinking about yourself in a different, better light than yesterday.

What if just being yourself, the way you are right now, is good enough?

Being yourself takes courage, commitment and faith. It's a process of letting go of many false beliefs you've picked up from the collective consciousness: that you have to look good, be smart, know the right people, say the right things, have the proper experience, in order to be happy and successful in life. Being yourself can be scary and counterintuitive, difficult and even off-putting and, at times, lonely. However, being your authentic self is liberating, exciting and fulfilling. When you have the courage to just be who you are, without apology or pretense, so much of the suffering, stress and worry in life simply disappears. - Mike Robbins

For today, I'd like to help all of my friends who are bloggers, business owners, or professionals in the workplace by inviting them to comment on this blog entry with a tiny tid-bit about who they are and a link to their website. If they post their information and you are reading this, please take a moment to check out their website. You never know who you can meet and network with. Being in business by yourself is hard. And who says we should be in business by ourselves? We always need help from others to really succeed! And if you are just a regular guy or gal who blogs and wants more readers, post your blogs here! You just never know what may come out of having a new visitor learn more about what YOU have to offer.

Ok, go post your site as a comment on my blog entry!!! Can't wait to visit everyone's web pages. My husband is going to start by posting his xowii site. That's all he has - he said! LOL Have a great day ya'll!