I want you to look in the mirror and tell me what you see. Right now, when I look in the mirror I see wall art, a vacuum, closed curtains, tiny hand prints on the mirror, and dried roses in the center of my dining room table. Now, I want you to go back and look in the mirror again and tell me what you really see. Yes I’m talking about you. Do you see a happy-go-lucky person? Do you see a sad lonely person? Do you see a person who is depressed and full of anxiety? Did you respond with "I don’t know who I am"?
Why is it that we are so quick to mention all the “negative” stuff right away? I know I do the same. Why do we have this need to be liked, to be “perfect”, to have the biggest and best things to prove to people that we are successful? Social media is a perfect example of that, especially now with Facebook having all those reactions you can choose to show how you liked a post. You can either like, love, laugh, wow, show a sad or angry face. Which by the way I think it's kind of cool, but how many times do we obsess over it? Like why didn’t someone love my picture- they only liked it. Why did I only get 5 likes when I have 500 friends? Then you begin to worry, like maybe that wasn’t a good enough to post, or maybe people thought it was stupid. You know what I mean? Why do we take 17 pictures of the same thing before we find the perfect one to post? Are we trying to get people’s approval? Why? What wrong with being okay with your own approval? Why do we feel the need to dress a certain way? Is it because we are trying to fit in? We all have this need to fit in, but what happens when we fit in with others? We are exactly like them, and if we are like the others how can we stand out? Dress to impress yourself, not for anyone else.
Someone once said we had a Leave it to Beaver life. I couldn’t stop laughing because it was the farthest from the truth. I’m going to be incredibly honest, raw, and real with you right now. I do not have it all together. There are days when I feel so broken that I can’t get out of bed. There are days when I’m ridden with anxiety and can’t breathe. There are days when I feel lonely and depressed. There are nights when I cry myself to sleep. There are times when I look in the mirror and don’t know who I am. There are days when I’m so physically and emotionally drained I don’t know how I’ll make it through the day. There are days when I literally walk around looking like a hot mess. I have stacks of laundry to do. There is black sharpie, spaghetti sauce and mascara on my walls (don’t ask). The pile of dishes seems to be endless. I could go on for hours, but you get what I am saying. Life is not always sunshine and rainbows, although I really wish it was sometimes. One thing I have learned is that we can’t appreciate the sunshine and rainbows without the clouds or rain. Life isn’t going to always be easy. You’re not going to always be motivated. I know I’m not. Sometimes it's easier to give up rather than to keep going. I’m here to tell you to keep going. You are not alone. One thing I know for certain is the fire that burns inside me is bigger than the flames around me.
I don’t know about you but opportunity was never handed to me. I didn’t grow up in a wealthy family or have fancy things. I do know one thing though: that it has molded me into who I am today and I appreciate everything I have been through. Listen, it’s not about where you’ve been it’s about where you’re going. So, stop doubting yourself. Stop the negative self-talk. Stop the he-said-she-said about me, and start speaking life into yourself. Start believing in who you really are and not who you pretend to be. If we all were the same this world would be a boring place, don’t you think? It’s up to us to create our own opportunity. It’s up to us to show the world who we really are no matter who tries to stand in our way.
Have you ever seen the movie The Greatest Showman? If you haven’t I strongly encourage you to do so. There is such an inspiring message in the movie, not to mention some really great songs.
I’d like to share a few of my favorite quotes from the movie:
“No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.”
“I am brave, I am bruised, I am who I’m meant to be, this is me”.
Now, I want you to go back and look in the mirror again. I want you to look at your eyes. I want you to see what I see in you. I want you to see all the potential that you have. I want you to see what an incredible person you are. Now, I want you to look into your mind. I know it may be full right now but I need you to see your own vision. Where do you want to be? What do you want to do? I know we all have something. It doesn’t matter your age. It doesn’t matter who understands your vision. It wasn’t given to them it was given to you, and it's your job to make it come to life.
Lastly, I want you to put your hand over your heart. Do you feel the beat? Do you know that you are so special? Do you know there is nobody out there who has your fingerprints? Do you know that you are meant to do some pretty awesome things? Do you know how valuable you are? Do you know? I hope you do. I want you to know you are all those things and more. I want you to know you have a purpose on this earth. I want you to be proud of you. I want you to believe in the power of you. I want you to know that you are enough. You always are and you always will be.
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