Be Yourself...No Not Like That
Happy Day readers!!
Has anyone else since this saying going around on social media "Be yourself...no not like that"?
I have to tell you that it stopped me cold because man did it hit home!! I have to tell you that I feel like in life we are hit with so many different messages, images and thoughts each day that it's hard to sort through them all. When I saw this I thought it summed up everything I see each day pretty perfectly.
It's hard in this day and age when we are told to be authentic, be real, be ourselves but then rarely are we embraced or accepted when this occurs. A lot of time what happens is we are told you are sort of getting it, that's about right, or maybe try it this why. It can make trying to stay in your truth very hard. The natural reaction is to retreat and conform to whatever you "should be".
What takes your real guts, gumption and truth is to say "yes like this", "absolutely this way", "this is my truth". I feel like there has been a real movement to say yes this way and I love it! It makes my heart happen to witness people living their truth no matter what society or anyone else says because isn't that the goal?
I truly don't believe we were put on this earth to be perfect, or a size (fill in the blank) or any other thing we might think we should be. In my bones I know we are here to be us and no one else is exactly like we are. I tell my girls this each and everyday! I tell them when I putting them to bed "no one else is like you. be you! you are beautiful and just as you should be."
This isn't always easy! In fact as I write this Matt is chasing Emily around the house after bath trying to catch her and put on her pjs. It would be "easier" if she would just listen, put on her pjs and sit quietly but it wouldn't be her. That wouldn't be authentic to who she is but it would make my life easier. Each day I do this dance of balancing who she is and what I think she should do.
It's hard as a parent not to take their actions personally, not to feel that the way your child acts is a reflection on you, not to try and make them conform so you are comfortable. Any parent that tells you they don't struggle with this is my hero (and tell them to call me because I want to know their secret)!
I think all we can do each day is to be ourselves, whatever it may look like that day. And if we are parenting to let our child be who they are that day. For me that might mean that Emily is wearing a tutu on her head and carrying around her naked baby doll in a back pack....not that, that happened today or anything :)
The truth is we all need to take ourselves and our kids off the hook. We all need to show each other a little compassion. We need to recognize that even though we might all be different in truth we are all one. In doing that I hope we can show each other empathy and love each other a little more today than we did yesterday.
xoxo
Has anyone else since this saying going around on social media "Be yourself...no not like that"?
I have to tell you that it stopped me cold because man did it hit home!! I have to tell you that I feel like in life we are hit with so many different messages, images and thoughts each day that it's hard to sort through them all. When I saw this I thought it summed up everything I see each day pretty perfectly.
It's hard in this day and age when we are told to be authentic, be real, be ourselves but then rarely are we embraced or accepted when this occurs. A lot of time what happens is we are told you are sort of getting it, that's about right, or maybe try it this why. It can make trying to stay in your truth very hard. The natural reaction is to retreat and conform to whatever you "should be".
What takes your real guts, gumption and truth is to say "yes like this", "absolutely this way", "this is my truth". I feel like there has been a real movement to say yes this way and I love it! It makes my heart happen to witness people living their truth no matter what society or anyone else says because isn't that the goal?
I truly don't believe we were put on this earth to be perfect, or a size (fill in the blank) or any other thing we might think we should be. In my bones I know we are here to be us and no one else is exactly like we are. I tell my girls this each and everyday! I tell them when I putting them to bed "no one else is like you. be you! you are beautiful and just as you should be."
This isn't always easy! In fact as I write this Matt is chasing Emily around the house after bath trying to catch her and put on her pjs. It would be "easier" if she would just listen, put on her pjs and sit quietly but it wouldn't be her. That wouldn't be authentic to who she is but it would make my life easier. Each day I do this dance of balancing who she is and what I think she should do.
It's hard as a parent not to take their actions personally, not to feel that the way your child acts is a reflection on you, not to try and make them conform so you are comfortable. Any parent that tells you they don't struggle with this is my hero (and tell them to call me because I want to know their secret)!
I think all we can do each day is to be ourselves, whatever it may look like that day. And if we are parenting to let our child be who they are that day. For me that might mean that Emily is wearing a tutu on her head and carrying around her naked baby doll in a back pack....not that, that happened today or anything :)
The truth is we all need to take ourselves and our kids off the hook. We all need to show each other a little compassion. We need to recognize that even though we might all be different in truth we are all one. In doing that I hope we can show each other empathy and love each other a little more today than we did yesterday.
xoxo
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