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Today's Challenge: List 3 of your positive characteristics.
Remove distractions and sit quietly for a few moments. Think about your strengths. What unique qualities do you bring to the world?
Now, depending on your current circumstance and state of mind, this can be a difficult task to complete. But believe me, if you take the time to just FIND 3 THINGS - Three Words to Describe YOU - it will be an incredibly uplifting experience.
We all have our own special talents, but rarely do we acknowledge them, or even celebrate them. People can compliment us, but we often down-play the praise. Today is your chance to praise yourself and recognise what a truly valuable person you are.
When you find your three things and write them down,
a most amazing thing happens...
Your outlook for the day changes.
Your outlook for the day changes.
You will feel a little tingle inside -
that warm, fuzzy glow that tells you:
that warm, fuzzy glow that tells you:
"I'M OK.
I am a good person.
I am worthy.
I am likeable.
I have talents to share."
And this then gives you that little boost that you may have needed to step out into your day with the drive to achieve the thinigs that you have been thinking about doing.
My three words:
Practical
This is often the first word that comes to my mind when I describe myself. I am practical. I'm down to earth. I am comfortable enjoying the simple things in life. I am grounded and tend not to get swept away with the latest fads and fashion, or influenced by the media.
Growing up on a farm in the country and blessed with parents who passed on their skills and knowledge, I have an ability to fix things, an afinity to finding solutions independently and a sensibility to accept things as they are.
Perhaps this practicality was born from the family background of not being in a financial position to pay for the expertise of others and having to make do with what we had. If that meant going without, I went without. If that meant putting up with something that wasn't perfect or old and we couldn't afford a new one, then I put up with it. If that meant fixing things with a hammer and nail or a bit of wire, then I fixed it.
There was a time when I resented having to do that and wished for what I didn't have or for someone else to do it for me. But I have changed and realised that my past and my life is perfect just the way it is.
Inspiring
For some reason, my community does not look fondly upon people who outwardly describe their talents. If you publicly declare your great achievements and gifts, many others see you as self-involved, vain or selfish. We grow up in a contradictory society which conditions us to be competative and seek success and achievement, yet when we accomplish something great, we then down-play our greatness. It's bizarre!
"A Land of Opportunity, where you can do anything and be what you want..." and when you do, the Tall Poppy Syndrome kicks in and you are criticised because your talents or achievements elevate you above others. Again... bizarre!
"A Land of Opportunity, where you can do anything and be what you want..." and when you do, the Tall Poppy Syndrome kicks in and you are criticised because your talents or achievements elevate you above others. Again... bizarre!
So, today I will allow myself to recognise that I am inspiring. I acknowledge and graciously accept what others have told me.
That sense of practicality combined with lessons learnt from commencing boarding school at the age of 12, developed strength and independence. My confidence may have only been a mask, hiding inner insecurities, but it served me well, particularly early in my working career, where I could manage upwards and was fortunate to have great mentors. This is what set me up to do what I do today, which some have found to be inspiring.
An example: I distinctly remember the time a couple of years ago when my friend Donna told me how much I inspired her. It was a short time after my husband and I separated and while I was feeling like my world had come to an end, all she saw was a strong, loving mother, adapting to change, starting her own business, facing fears and following a long felt yearning to take up windsurfing. And more recently as I shared my Clear the Crap journey, others have told me how I have inpired them to do the same.
Honest
My highest value - Honesty.
There is something deep-rooted within me that has always made it difficult for me to lie. Sure there were times, particularly in my youth, when all details were not openly revealed... particularly to parents!!!! But I am not deliberately false or have any intent to decieve. I am honest.
Perhaps the importance of Honesty was magnified for me when I learnt that the one person that I trusted the most in the world, my husband, had been hiding the truth from me. That cut very deep and I am seeing the effects now as my children grow up and learn and try to hide things from me. At the moment it's my son telling me he has eaten the fruit in his lunch box, when he has not! To observe my reaction when the children lie is really interesting.
With all the self-analysis that Clear the Crap has brought forth, I have recently discovered the importance of speaking your truth in the moment. I do admit to conforming to social graces in certain circumstances so as not to offend people - you don't have to tell everyone everything that you are thinking. But I have also learnt that to hold back and not say something that you really feel, can be detrimental to your well-being.
I value the truth and I am constantly working on develping the skill to find the right way to say things and the courage to speak it in every moment.
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