Loving Yourself: An Epiphany

Somehow pushing through my fatigue yesterday I was able to stay up for nearly 25 hours in an attempt to reset my sleep schedule.  The result? I fell asleep at 7 p.m. last night, woke up briefly early this morning with a migraine, wrestled with the pain and fell back into peaceful slumber until 7:30 a.m..  Success! In my new found world of being awake with the sun, I decided to treat myself to a tasty breakfast from Dunkin Donuts.  Hazelnut coffee, delicious, I had not tasted you in forever, oh how I missed you.  Accompanying my less than healthy, but more than deserving breakfast, was Easy A.  It was my first viewing, but I absolutely loved it.  Admittedly The Scarlet Letter was not a favorite read of mine in high school, but I really enjoyed its tie in with the movie.  Frequently during the movie I would think to myself, "I wonder how I could do my hair like that" or "her outfit is great, I'll have to replicate that sometime" which lead itself to an epiphany upon the film's conclusion: I have overcome jealousy; I have used it for inspiration and motivation instead.  What does this mean for me (and for anyone with jealousy issues)? Well, in recent years past, I would find myself downtrodden with jealousy when I would see something I wanted that others had, both physical features and materialist items.  However, I've realized I no longer feel such strong envy, if any at all.  Instead, I use it to inspire me to try new things, replicate a hairstyle, or save my money to later splurge on something great.  In doing so, I've become infinitely happier and more comfortable with myself.  Whether it's something that coincides with maturation or something I have accomplished myself I will never know, but I am happy to have achieved such peace with myself.  If you're still stuck desiring that which is possessed by others, there are 10 simple ways to love yourself and overcome such unhappiness.  Though covered in detail here (scroll over me!), a glimpse of these items is as follows:

1) Pay yourself a compliment

2) Make Yourself Over

3) Get Physically Fit

.... read the link for more!  If you have any additional ways in which you have become comfortable with yourself feel free to share in a comment.

Happy reading and self acceptance!

-Lauren

Step Two: Create

Although I woke up this morning, okay, this afternoon, lacking the motivation to wander out in the frigid weather and drag my groggy self to the gym, I did wake up with a goal for the day: purchase the necessary tools and supplies to create something.  The first thing that popped into my mind was jewelry supplies.  I've been eying so many necklaces on etsy.com, eyes wide in amazement, coveting the beautiful things these sellers create.  Which got me to thinking, "why can't I do something similar?"  As only positive thoughts began to swarm my mind, I realized this is a craft I can work towards, something I can spend my time doing, and something I can be proud of.  So there it was, a simple solution to my creative need.  A chilly five minute drive later leaves me standing in front of the doors to a local craft store.  Not completely sure what I was searching for, I slipped my gloves into my purse and quickly entered the store.  After a short bout of trial and error and consecutively selecting the wrong aisle, I finally located the proper section.  Overwhelmed with the array of greens, pinks, golds, and blues, small beads, long beads, wire spools, individual chains, and an unnecessary amount of wire cutting tools (after much examination, I have determined they are nearly all the same) I selected the few basics I knew I would need: a few long chains which can be cut to the proper lengths, a wire cutter/bender, and two small packets of beads-one blue pack, one pink.  I then began to take a slower look and realized I was in a beginner jeweler's heaven.  There were elephant charms (my favorite! and I was so tempted to snag these, but how many elephant necklaces does one need?), leaves (another personal favorite, I snagged a few packs of these for earrings), medallions (too plain), and small trinkets (snagged a pack with an Eiffel tower [yes!] among other things and a pack with miniature keys).  Although nearly everything was 40% off, I spent far more than I had intended and had to talk myself out of the typical buyer's remorse I feel.  I knew I would end up spending an equal amount of money on jewelery in the next few months had I not bought things to make my own, but the best part? They are my own. Nobody else's.  These will be my creations, though inspired by others, pure originals.  Bag in hand I trek back out to my car with smile on my face, ready to snip open these packets, and ready to tackle a simple, yet effective, aspect to my resolution: create.

I can't wait to share what I come up with, but until then, perhaps my dreams will inspire further creativity..the possibilities are seemingly endless. Au Revoir (sigh, I wish I was a Parisian)!

-Lauren

Cheers to a New Year

So, this is it, I have officially survived my first day of a new decade.  How does it feel?  Well, to be completely honest, it feels exactly the same, minus one thing.  I woke today feeling off, as does tend to happen when you somehow sleep until 5 p.m., but I felt a resurgence of energy, inspiration, and life.  2010 was the most transitional year I have experienced up to this point.  I would like to say that it was transitional in a good way, though that isn't really the case.  I experienced the end of a college era and the beginning of my so called "adult life".  I experienced the heartbreak that came with the end of a three year relationship.  I experienced the effects of financial trouble and I experienced the feeling that try as hard as you might, things often do not go as planned.  With so many things bogging me down day by day and the floating memories of the life I envisioned for myself post-graduation, 2010 rapidly became a year I would like to discard.  I was determined to have the best new year's eve embracing my singleness (not loneliness!), dancing away my sorrows (not drinking them!), and bracing myself for 2011 (not dreading!).  All in all I would say last night was a success: I did not need a new year's kiss to smile at midnight, I did not need alcohol to have a good time, and I did not allow any grand expectations for the new year to enter my mind.  Now, as for my new found zest to celebrate myself, I have decided there are three major things I would like to accomplish this year.

One: ENJOY the simple things in life.  The colors of the world.  The sounds.  The smells.  The textures.  Perhaps this would lead me into photography? Anything is a possibility!

Two: CREATE a life I can be proud of.  Don't wait for things to happen, make them happen.  This means landing a job I can say I worked hard for (placing the job of "waitress" sans career category on my blog made me realize I am really, really over feeling subpar to myself).  This means staying close to the friends I want to be a part of my long-term future.  This means doing more things for others.  Volunteering? Sure!

Three: SWEAT it all out.  I know I have said this many years past and will say it in the years that have to come, but I want to feel good about myself.  I want to look in the mirror and know that I worked for my body, that it's healthy, and that I did it through will power, perseverance, and enjoyment.  This means I will get the full usage out of my gym membership, not pay twenty dollars a month to go eight times.  This means I will put things in my body that it needs, not that I crave (although I don't mind an indulgence here and there).  This means that even if I don't lose the weight, I can say I am fit, healthy, and happy.  After all, weight is just but a number.

Alas my glass is empty, but I shall continue to update the world on the progress of creating a happy, healthy life for myself as the year continues.

-Lauren