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| Photo courtesy of Pezibear on Pixabay |
As humans, it's easy for us to pick ourselves apart, and to be overly critical of ourselves. For many of us, it would be easy to create a list of things we don't like about ourselves and the things that we would like to change. I'm all for working to be the best version of ourselves that we can be and giving ourselves constructive criticism that can help us grow as individuals, but a lot of the time, we're our own harshest critic. And let's be honest, our criticism of ourselves isn't always constructive, and it's more negative self-talk than anything else. I find myself being hyper-critical of myself on a pretty regular basis, and focusing on my shortcomings, or what I view as my shortcomings. It's rare I ever take a moment to focus on what I love about myself. So in honor of Valentine's Day, I have decided to sit down and create a list of 14 things that I love about myself as my own little way to celebrate this holiday of love.
1 - My sense of style
I have always loved fashion, and although I do occasionally incorporate new trends into my style as they pop up, my style isn't influenced by the media or anyone else. I'm not afraid to wear crazy pieces like cat ears headbands, nor am I afraid to go full glam just because I feel like it. I also wouldn't say I have just one style. I love that I'm not afraid to change things up drastically from day-to-day!
2 - My face with and without makeup
It actually wasn't until recently, within the last year or two, that I felt confident enough to leave the house without makeup. Don't get me wrong, I love makeup as an art form, but it's no longer a necessity to me. I only wear makeup because I want to now, not because I feel like I have to. I always knew that I didn't have to wear makeup, but I'm at a point in my life now where I can feel confident without it. Even out in public. I also have to say that I look pretty good for my age. Not that 26 is old by any stretch of the imagination, but I frequently get told that I look way younger than I am. Which I'll definitely take as a compliment.
3 - The strength of my abs, legs, and butt
My abs and lower body are the strongest parts of my body. I might not have a six-pack or visibly toned muscles, but I love seeing what my abs and legs can do when I'm working them. My abs, legs, and butt were the first places that I noticed my muscles getting stronger when I first started working out. Now I need to work on my arms. But that's not what we're talking about today, haha.
4 - My strength in general
I'm not just talking about physical strength, I'm also talking about mental and emotional strength. For the longest time, I doubted that I was in any way a tough person. I felt like I wasn't strong enough to handle much of anything. But who doesn't feel weak sometimes? We all have our bad days and moments in our life where we feel broken, but it is actually these moments and how we persevere through them that makes us stronger.
5 - My ability to change and grow
Not even that many years ago, I had an extremely negative outlook on life and my lifestyle as a whole was terrible. Healthy habits were basically nonexistent for me, I was angry all the time, I had basically given up on life; woe is me. But then one day, I decided to change that. I started by changing my habits and being more active, and that alone worked wonders for me. Now I'm stepping it up, and I'm actively working to improve my mindset as well, and my life as a whole. So what's my point? My point is, I decided to stop stunting my own growth and allow myself to change for the better. I allowed myself to be open to positivity, and it changed my outlook on life. I can't say that it's been an easy process, but it's been worth it.
6 - My intelligence
Back in middle school, I was terrified to be considered nerdy, and I would dumb myself down immensely. Kind of like Cady Heron did in Mean Girls, but I wasn't doing it for the attention of a boy. I suppressed my intelligence just didn't want people to think I was a geek. But now I embrace the idea of being nerdy. In fact, nerdy stuff is kind of my life now! Seriously though, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being smart. Who cares if someone calls you a nerd? It's sort of a compliment when you think about it.
7 - My coding skills
I taught myself how to code in 2016, and I've improved a lot over the years. I don't know everything yet, but I know enough to make my own Tumblr and Blogger themes. I learn something new with each code that I write, and I am proud of myself for having taught myself to code without any formal training or classes. Just the help of Google and online tutorials.
8 - My love for writing
Ever since I learned how to write, I've had an interest in writing. I have been writing stories and journal entries since second grade, so I think I'm a pretty good writer. I'm definitely not the best writer in the world, but I'm always looking to improve. No matter what your craft is, you should never stop working to become better and better at it.
9 - My creativity
Creativity goes hand in hand with coding and writing, but I'm also creative in many other ways, and I never stop looking for new ways to create. My mind has a pretty consistent flow of ideas, and for the most part, I'd say they are good ideas! When it comes to art, there's no such thing as a bad idea. Even if not everyone "gets" it.
10 - My perfectionist side
Although this trait can also be a source of stress, it pushes me to do the very best that I can with everything that I set out to do.
11 - My determination
When I want to do something badly enough, I find a way to make it happen. I'm rather stubborn about my dreams, and everything else I want to do. I don't give up easily. Even if I rage quit, I'll come back to it later.
12 - The fact that I'm a dreamer
I feel like almost everyone is a dreamer when they're a kid. I know for a fact that I had some big dreams as a child, but life seems to have a way of taking the dreamer out of a lot of us. But despite being told that I needed to be more realistic, I couldn't allow myself to let go of my dreams. Of course, I did end up reevaluating some of them, but my point is, I never stopped being a dreamer. Now, I can't say that life hasn't turned me into a realist at all. The realist side of me knows that I need to have a plan to turn those dreams into a reality. Otherwise, they will always just be dreams.
13 - My playful and childish side
Even at 26, I have managed to hang on to my playful and "childish" side. Not only do I still shamelessly do a lot of the things I enjoyed doing as a child, but I actually think I enjoy them more now. I also have made it a necessity to allow myself to have fun and not take everything too seriously. I never want to lose touch with my inner child. Nor do I want to lose touch with what it's like to be a child or a teenager.
14 - My kindness
I feel like this is something a lot of kind people overlook in themselves, especially those of us who are hyper-judgemental of ourselves. For the longest time, I'd just view my kindness as something that was to be expected. I mean, anyone can be kind. It doesn't take much effort to be kind to others or to at least be a decent person. But some people seem to struggle with this, a lot of people it seems. Nastiness is so commonplace these days that I find myself admiring the kind hearts of other people when I come across someone that seems genuinely kind. So why shouldn't I take a moment to recognize that same trait in myself?
Self-love is not a bad thing. It is not an egotistical or narcissistic thing. There is absolutely no reason why we shouldn't have the same love and respect for ourselves that we would for other people, and honor the things that we love about ourselves. We also don't need validation from others to love ourselves. We are allowed to love ourselves just as we are but also love ourselves enough to keep growing.
That being said, I would really like for you to make a list of things you love about yourself, and if you have a blog, post them to your blog and encourage other people to do the same. Also, if you do create a post, please send me the link so that I can read it! Your list can be as long or as short as you want, it doesn't have to be 14, and you can choose absolutely anything that you love about yourself. You could also choose to just do this for yourself if you're not comfortable with posting anything. Just try to take a moment to practice a little bit of self-love.
I love that you took a moment to honor you! This was a great example of self love with enthusiasm to do more!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jessica! Self-love is so important, and it's something that I'm still working on, but I think it's something that we should all practice a little more!
DeleteThis is such a great post! So important to realize things that you love about yourself and celebrate them!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the post! :) I didn't really realize this until recently, but it really is important to recognize these things in ourselves. We shouldn't be afraid to celebrate them either.
DeleteI used to never leave the house without makeup but now I do it and the whole world doesn't just fall apart because I'm not wearing foundation! xo
ReplyDeleteMakeup Muddle
This is exactly how I saw it! Makeup should be fun, not essential. Makeup can be empowering, but so can going out without it. :)
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