Flawed, but perfectly Me!

As I finish up my morning coffee (yes, I know it's almost noon!), I am reminded of so many things I have done and continue to do. I have made my share of mistakes. I have probably made more than my share if I really wanted to dig. With every mistake, I have learned something. I have gained valuable knowledge, a little wisdom, and so much strength. I have learned to be compassionate, empathetic, learned to let go, and learned that some things are worth holding on to. I learned several careers, went to college, learned several skills and trades I didn't know, and found love so deep it could never go away. I faced challenges that I had no idea if I would make it through, and learned to listen to myself. I learned to love unconditionally, learned a few skills that I never thought I would enjoy, faced health issues that scared me and left me in a different frame of mind. I found that once you leave some place, it's very difficult to ever return. I found that some of the people you held on a pedestal really didn't deserve to be there, while others that you were fond of deserved to be on a pedestal and I didn't put them there. I learned to compartmentalize not only issues, and feelings but also people. I became cold and uncaring. Then, I learned that your past and the people from your past, have a place in your life. You don't have to live in your past but you can not change it either. Your past made you who you are today, and that can never be discounted. I relearned how to care and love people even when you do not agree with them, or them with you. I learned that I believe in soul mates, dreams, wishing on stars, working hard to achieve your goals, that nature is truly the best medicine for every purpose, and that whatever you put out to the universe you receive back ten fold.

Yes, this is kind of a reflection of my life from age 18 through now. I know so many people have faced obstacles in their life and I am no different. The thing is, each of these obstacles has had a lesson to be learned. I wonder how many of us have actually learned anything though. While my own learning has lead me to try to rise above the road blocks, others have used the road blocks as an excuse to never better themselves. While I don't understand this, I see it regularly...the thoughts I hear is, "This is just the way it's always been. I grew up this way so I know I can never do any better." My response is always, "You're Right!" You know why? The simple fact that they are ok with the way they are and aren't willing to strive for more. While I can't remember at the moment who said it, the statement that fits is this: "Whether you believe you can or you can't...either way you are right." I believe it was Henry Ford...but not certain.

I am a firm believer that I can do ANYTHING I put my mind to, but I have had a few months of late, that I just let the darkness control my thoughts. There is an old Native adage that states we have a battle of two wolves inside of us. We choose which wolf wins the battle by our thoughts. I believe this 100%.

As I work at realigning my spirit and internal peace, I am finding that I must work at this from a multidimensional view. To be a person at peace with myself I must work on every area of my life. I have to work on my health and fitness, emotional and physical states, as well as my thoughts. So many times, we are our own worst enemies. We are constantly listening to the negative, hypocritical voice in our heads. We degrade ourselves. We tell ourselves we aren't pretty, smart, funny, interesting, lovable, caring, or worth what we dream of for ourselves. Quite simply, we don't give ourselves enough credit or enough positive reinforcement to be able to achieve our dreams. We look to magazines for clothing styles, hair styles, what popular, what's "In," and what's "out." What we fail to see is that the only thing we are doing, by judging ourselves against supermodels and current trends, is negating how beautiful we really are.

There is no one else on Earth that can offer what you do, there is no one else on Earth that is perfectly, beautifully, YOU! There is no one that loves you the way you should love yourself. I'm not talking about being self-centered. I am talking about truly loving the person you have become, the lessons you've learned, the people that you love and that love you, and most importantly...loving yourself despite the flaws you see. You may not be the weight you want to be, have the hair you want, or the "stuff" you want. You may not have the spouse, friends or relatives you want...but know you have what you are meant to have at this point in your life. There is no one else on this Earth that can be anymore perfectly YOU!

The best analogy I have: Imagine hundreds of pieces of ripped or torn material. Alone these pieces of material are just that, pieces of left over material. When you take the time to sew each of these pieces together, they become the most beautiful and comforting quilt you will ever see. Each of us is nothing more than millions of pieces of material, that we must diligently sew together to make a beautiful quilt. Each of those pieces of material represents a piece of our lives. The good, the bad, the ugly, the brutal, the beautiful, the challenging, the loving, the caring, the lessons learned. Some days we may be just a beautiful piece of fabric but before long...we become this amazing, beautiful, comforting and warm patch work of fabric. It's up to you how you patch all the pieces together and I would be willing to bet that not a single one of us would do it the same. That is what makes us uniquely, perfectly, flawlessly, individual. We can not be anyone but who we are.

So no matter who you are, where you are in your life right now, you still have room to grow. We all do. Just remember to embrace your flawed but perfectly you, self!

Here is a toast. So coffee cups, or wine glasses in the air. "May 2014 be the year we all finally accept that we are all flawed, we are all imperfect, but we are perfectly us. So, to each of here... Here's to our perfectly flawed selves."
Cheers,
Salli