What is dragging you down?
Are you unhappy because you’re not perfect? Do you feel like everyone else is better than you? Or, is it that you don’t feel like you’re special or unique?
Well, I have some news for you…there is no one on this earth like you. You ARE UNIQUE. More importantly, you are right where you are supposed to be. As soon as you start comparing yourself to others, you lose your uniqueness. I’m writing this because I need to heed my own advice sometimes. Whenever I feel like I’m not special, or that I’m not reaching my goals fast enough, it’s time to take a break from the madness and appreciate all that I am.
Here are some ways you can remind yourself to express your uniqueness:
#1 – Do work you love
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE working with women to help them rediscover their beauty and spirit! I love the responses I get from my clients after our style sessions. One recent client wrote,
“I was curious to know why wearing the right colors matters. What’s the harm in wearing lipstick red or stop-sign yellow? Well, after Linda got rid of the wrong colors in my closet, and magically assembled outfits for me, I became a believer. I was astonished at the feedback I got from people I know well, not to mention, perfect strangers! Even when I look in the mirror, I see myself emerge more than ever before. What can I say but I’m a believer in True Colors and in Linda Waldon.” — Kathryn Rogers, San Luis Obispo
Conclusion: Do work you love and love your job with all of your heart. Have pride in it, do it 100%, and keep growing in it. Your unique contribution will fill your heart with joy. If you hate your job, change it. Start something new, create it, market it, perfect it, and love it with all your being.
#2 – Wear clothes that reflect who you really are inside
Is your image helping or hurting you?
Susan Street, www.FiftyNotFrumpy.com
What does your image say about you? Think about the last time you met someone for the first time. What kind of impression did you make?
Some say it’s wrong to judge a book by its cover. Yet we all do it. For good reason!
Clothing still plays a significant role in our first impression — the way you dress tells the world how you feel about yourself, so show the world you care.
Your Image IS Your Business
Pay attention to your personal brand. Everything you say and do reflects who you are. Become a thought leader and change the world one thought at a time.
#3 – Take care of your health and well-being
Fall in love with yourself.
Nurture your body with love, nutritious food, and exercise.
“I fall asleep feeling beautiful,” she said to me. “Then, in the morning, before I leave the house I say five things I love about myself, like, I have really pretty eyes, or, those sit-ups are really working! That way I can go out into the world with that extra bit of confidence. It’s a feel-good protein shake that fortifies my soul in case someone messes with me.”
Try eating mostly vegetarian a few days a week. See how creative and fun it is to fill your shopping cart with colorful vegetables and then roast, stir fry, steam, or eat vegetables raw. This colorful plate above is 3/4 vegetables with roasted potatoes and asparagus, heirloom tomatoes, sweet peas, asparagus, and sliced hormone-free beef tenderloin filet, served with Dijon mustard for zing.
#4 – Start with small life changes
Build the life you desire by starting with small ‘dough ball’ changes so it’s not so overwhelming. For instance, if you’re a writer, a colleague of mine, Adele Sommers, recommends writing small metaphorical “dough balls” of content that you can “stack in the freezer to be pulled out later” when you are ready to create something like a book or workshop. By creating small dough balls one at a time, you are not faced with preparing ten loaves of bread all at once, and the task doesn’t feel so overwhelming.
This also applies to lifestyle changes, and your dough balls could be things like starting to walk for twenty minutes every day, cutting out soft drinks, or writing short stories that will one day turn into a novel.
Start out with small accomplishments that turn into the life you love. What begins with a dough ball could end as a multi-tiered wedding cake!
At 61, it’s easier to accept oneself, to struggle less, to feel insecurities as mosquito bites instead of a head-on collision with a truck. Yet, still, it’s always helpful to hear a hopeful guide/reminder in the wilderness. So thanks for being a fellow “dough ball” creator! Kudos for a blog well done.
Thanks so much! I hope this resonates with everyone — be yourself.
Awesome post Linda!