December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful. (Author: Karen Walrond)
First thing that comes to mind is my curly hair, LOL. I'm quite used to it but it's the first thing people have noticed throughout my life. It took me until my senior year in high school to really embrace it and rock it naturally. And moving on, looking deeper. . .
It's hard to talk about myself this way - it makes me a little uncomfortable because it's tough to see what is truly different about yourself as you're so used to your own perspective and outlook that you can't really tell what is so different, special, and beautiful about yourself. I mean, I know that certain experiences are quite different than others' - like having been a Mormon missionary in France and Switzerland for 1.5 yrs and then having a worldview change, or having a mother who was very ill at one time and it took 10 years to really turn around- but everyone has personal, tough experiences. It's not these that make another person light up - it's one's attitude and how these experiences have shaped a person, it's their way of being and interacting with the world that this question is getting at.
So, I asked someone whose perception I trust about this question as a way to brainstorm for my response. He said something about me that resonated: I uniquely make it a priority to enjoy life; I am proactive about enjoying myself.
Well yes, but is that unusual? I mean, doesn't everyone want to do that?
He said yes, but you are pro-active about it - you have learned who you are, what you want, and you go after it. In general you do not concern yourself about how you are perceived by others, about looking silly, or what others might think about or judge what you're doing, and this is at the core of your feeling good and makes being authentic easy for you.
I can't argue with that.
So, these are my thoughts: Yes, a core value is that I want to enjoy myself. Not in a "let's paartaayy" kind of way (although sometimes that's very true) but by understanding that what makes me feel good is living values of: giving back, being involved in the community in a positive way, fulfilling my potential, making others feel good about their journeys, being invested in a place that I love and enjoy, and being part of creating a community of friends that are family, which cultivates love in my life.
I've recently experienced a lot of the principle that: WHAT YOU GIVE YOU RECEIVE IN EQUAL MEASURE BY THE UNIVERSE, and it is a joyful way to live. Apparently some people do not let themselves feel happiness. I don't at all understand why not, but I've been told this many times.
I value freedom and peace of mind above all and have the deep understanding that choice is freedom. There are basically two choices we make - that of personal behavior and that of consumption. I prefer delving into all the intricacies of personal behavioral choices and I come from an understanding that if it "feels good to me in the long run" it's "the right way to go." I think as my personality demonstrates this principle, others see and feel it and it speaks to their souls and may light them up a bit to their own power and ability. I hope that is true - I'm not sure that it is all that different from others, but I'm willing to see it in myself.
First thing that comes to mind is my curly hair, LOL. I'm quite used to it but it's the first thing people have noticed throughout my life. It took me until my senior year in high school to really embrace it and rock it naturally. And moving on, looking deeper. . .
It's hard to talk about myself this way - it makes me a little uncomfortable because it's tough to see what is truly different about yourself as you're so used to your own perspective and outlook that you can't really tell what is so different, special, and beautiful about yourself. I mean, I know that certain experiences are quite different than others' - like having been a Mormon missionary in France and Switzerland for 1.5 yrs and then having a worldview change, or having a mother who was very ill at one time and it took 10 years to really turn around- but everyone has personal, tough experiences. It's not these that make another person light up - it's one's attitude and how these experiences have shaped a person, it's their way of being and interacting with the world that this question is getting at.
So, I asked someone whose perception I trust about this question as a way to brainstorm for my response. He said something about me that resonated: I uniquely make it a priority to enjoy life; I am proactive about enjoying myself.
Well yes, but is that unusual? I mean, doesn't everyone want to do that?
He said yes, but you are pro-active about it - you have learned who you are, what you want, and you go after it. In general you do not concern yourself about how you are perceived by others, about looking silly, or what others might think about or judge what you're doing, and this is at the core of your feeling good and makes being authentic easy for you.
I can't argue with that.
So, these are my thoughts: Yes, a core value is that I want to enjoy myself. Not in a "let's paartaayy" kind of way (although sometimes that's very true) but by understanding that what makes me feel good is living values of: giving back, being involved in the community in a positive way, fulfilling my potential, making others feel good about their journeys, being invested in a place that I love and enjoy, and being part of creating a community of friends that are family, which cultivates love in my life.
I've recently experienced a lot of the principle that: WHAT YOU GIVE YOU RECEIVE IN EQUAL MEASURE BY THE UNIVERSE, and it is a joyful way to live. Apparently some people do not let themselves feel happiness. I don't at all understand why not, but I've been told this many times.
I value freedom and peace of mind above all and have the deep understanding that choice is freedom. There are basically two choices we make - that of personal behavior and that of consumption. I prefer delving into all the intricacies of personal behavioral choices and I come from an understanding that if it "feels good to me in the long run" it's "the right way to go." I think as my personality demonstrates this principle, others see and feel it and it speaks to their souls and may light them up a bit to their own power and ability. I hope that is true - I'm not sure that it is all that different from others, but I'm willing to see it in myself.