CHALLENGE.....awesome me

I have been toying with the idea of this challenge in my head for a few days now. This week's focus takes a bit of a detour off of funny road and points to serious land. This is part of the reason for the delay in posting. I hesitate to put anything too "deep" on this blog....so please bare with me.

After traveling for a week and then spending my midnight baby nursing hour catching up on blogs last night, I noticed a recurring theme. Many, many blogs have similarities: cute pics of kids/pets/spouse, cute stories, funny stories and journaling.
Another recurring theme: lately, it seems many women have posted about inadequacies. Or, rather feeling inadequate.

We go to the grocery store and see the woman with the perfect body- or the one with designer clothes.
My children are screaming for candy and the well-behaved children in the cart next to me are happily clutching their healthy carrot sticks.

What about blog surfing and thinking while seeing pictures:
Why is my house not as fancy/clean/cute as theirs?
She seems effortlessly beautiful.
Those kids are cute.... do mine look that cute to others?

I would like to steal an invented word from my good friend and "psychologize" for a moment. Please note, this is all from the not-so-genius head of mine and may include not-so-genius theories........

In our teens, most of us are awkward feeling, self conscious and highly aware of what others may/may not think. We grow up, we realize that life is so much better when we really become ourselves and allow those around us to truly see who we are. If any of you are like me, only a select few actually see the "real me." I worry about if what I say is really funny- or is it just to me? Why do I not worry about my make-up being perfect- except when I visit my hometown?
We think to ourselves, "If only......I lose x amount.....I had cuter decorations.....I could get my hair cut....I had more money." Even though we are mostly all grown up and know these thoughts are silly, we still do it.

I think that blogging has opened up a powerful, wonderful world for many of us. However, I think that it has also opened up a new venue for women to use for comparison. As if we didn't do this enough already.

49 of you voted on a poll a few weeks ago. 49 of you, (myself included), voted that you are not happy with your current weight, and several other things about yourselves. Why can't we accept, first and foremost, ourselves?

My mother has a quote on her mirror. Usually I tend to roll my eyes a little at such things, but this I love:

There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man, but there is something noble in being superior to your former self.

We don't need to be as good as, pretty as, smart as, clean as.... Isn't it funny how even as adults, we have to be reminded of the same lessons we teach our kids. For instance, after much whining, I say to my 4-year-old: Don't worry about what your sister is doing. You are different people. You like different things. It is ok. Worrying doesn't do any good... and on and on.



And thus, we have this week's challenge, the:

Awesome Me Challenge


If only for a week, you must make extra effort to think positive about yourself!

The requirements:

In three places, (IE: a note in your pocket, your blog & comments here), you must list 5 things good about yourself.
Now, be serious! 5 real things- sincerely wonderful things about yourself.

If you notice yourself comparing; stop. Take a deep breath and review your 5 things.
Also, find one sincere reason to like the person you are comparing yourself to.

Read your 5 things out loud sometime during the day, every day until the end of the week.

Being superior to your former self? I think that it is so important to be happy with who we are, content with what we have- but also trying to improve- not just wanting to. There is nothing wrong with trying to better ourselves- the key is to do it for ourselves- not in order to compete with others. Find the one thing about yourself that you really want to change, and take that first itsy bitsy baby step in the right direction. And, try to be satisfied w/that first step.

I have such a long ways to go on this challenge. I need to look at the pictures on your blogs and be happy for your beautiful homes, clean faced/no snot noses/darling children. AND, to quit wishing a few things were different, accept what I can't change, be happy with what I have and put a little effort into a little self-improvement........ even if that means just doing 10 sit ups each day instead of none.


Have a positively happy week!