What Makes Me Awesome

So, there I was innocently minding my own business on facebook.  When suddenly Smrt Mama posted all sorts of things that I found interesting and possibly even important.  In the midst of all the things she shared was something she put on her blog back in November.  It was an exercise in realizing how incredible you are.  I didn't do it then.  I was busy, tired, had all sorts of excuses.  But today I decided I'd take a crack at it.  What about you?  Are you ready to see how awesome you are?



I'd start by reading Smrt Mama's post.

Pretty good, huh?  And it doesn't sound too awfully difficult, except that it's looking at myself adoringly instead of listing the many ways I could seek improvement.  That list would be much easier to spit out.  But I'm going to focus on the positive today.  And no sabotaging.  Loving me today.

One more thing - not all my lists are complete.  I know that some of you may want to offer suggestions for things I could love about myself.  Please don't.  This is my list and I need to work on finding five things about my physical self, my mind, and what I've accomplished - for me.  I'm putting this out to all of you, though, even though it's incomplete because I think a work in progress is still worth reading sometimes. 

So, here we go:

Five things I admire about my looks and body:

1. I love my eyes.  I like their color, ability to smile with me, and the fact that so many of my emotions show through them. 
2. I like my shoulders.  They're freckled and I've always loved freckles!  Plus they are beautifully rounded and I enjoy that gentleness about them.
3. I like my breasts.  They have great form and function.  Three babies have helped make me proud of them in a whole new way!
4. I have great ankles.  They're slender and strong.

Five things that are great about my mind:

1. I'm a planner.  I like to look into the future, set goals, and help find ways to reach them.
2. I'm a dreamer.  I like to believe in good, joy, and love. 
3. I tend to see the positive in people and to give them the benefit of the doubt.
4. My friendships are many and varied.  I love that I love so many different people, and that they are different. 
5. I am in touch with my emotions.  I can usually identify the feelings before I even know the reason behind them.  I believe feeling is a great thing and a wonderful resource for me.

Five accomplishments:

1. I have a Master's Degree - complete with some incredible friendships.
2. I'm raising three beautiful, mostly great monkeys - teaching them to love, to love learning, and to think for themselves!
3. I have worked through some difficult situations in my life and come out stronger on the other side.  I've given back to others, to help them as well, in the areas I've struggled.
4. I have a strong marriage.  In or out of the military that's not a certainty. 
5. I realize I have something to share, that others might learn from, and I'm volunteering in our Family Readiness Group, in hopes of helping others not only survive, but also thrive, in their lives as milspouses.

And there's my incomplete list.  Are you ready to make yours?  Start when and where you can.  And know that if you can't come up with all 15 bullets - you're still amazing!  Good luck and have fun!