self love

It's been months and months since I've blogged, and I'm excited to get back to it.  This post is about a topic very near and dear to my heart- self love.  Sometimes we forget to treat ourselves well, and to know that we are enough.  Right now, as we are.  I am one of those people that has the tendency to get too attached to a hope, goal or dream, and then think, "I will be somebody when...".  I need to learn to live in the now, and appreciate what I have and who I am at this very moment.  If I fill my head with negative thoughts today, then what does that promise for the future?  It's sad to realize that I have learned to become comfortable in a negative personal image because of difficult situations I've had to deal with in the past.  I don't like feeling defeated.  It is tiring and heavy, but it is easy because I don't have to do anything.  How can I change my self image?  The obvious answer would be to simply love myself, but if I haven't loved myself for a very long long time, then how??  Habits.  Leaving the housework, abusing food, and over sleeping have never. ever. made me feel good.  Replacing bad habits with good ones will help me feel better about myself for sure.  Waking up early, going on walks, reading, organizing, eating healthy, journaling, cleaning, unplugged family time, dressing up, drinking water, date nights, exploring, meditating, painting.....these are the types of (real, tangible) things I can do to naturally feel positive.  I have a LOT to be grateful for, and I really do love love love my life.  It's hard to explain how I can be happy with my life and proud of my morals and general ethic, yet disappointed because I know I can do better.  My kids, my boyfriend, my pets, my job, my house, my car, my hobbies and all of that are all golden.  It's me.  I'm a kind, generous, loving, thoughtful, artistic, intelligent, and beautiful person.  Most of the time I believe that.  Actions speak louder than words.

images found on Pinterest.

2012

I love a fresh new year.  It's the perfect time for reflection and goal setting.  It's always exciting to set aside some time during the last few days or the first few days of the year to dream up some fun resolutions.  Of course there are things that end up on the list year after year and I always say, "this is the year" with the good intention of following through.  It's taken me a little while but I've come to realize that if you want change to happen, you have to do things differently.  A simple concept really, but it's easier said than done.  Things don't get done when you come home after a long hard day (every day??) and order take-out and watch Netflix all night.  It takes determination, planning, and action to get results.  It also helps if your goals are fun and realistic.  After reading through my list, and talking about 2012 with KC, we realized that making over our house, getting in shape, saving money, and getting married in December would be a bit much.  So, this year we plan to focus on the first two, while saving the money and marriage thing for 2013.  We want to get all our ducks in a row before we get hitched so we can enjoy the newlywed experience fairly stress free.  This year our family really wants to focus on getting into regular routines (with meals, chores, and earlier bedtimes), fixing up or house (organization, repairs, painting, and decorating), getting healthy (walking, moving, and cooking more), and forming stronger relationships (spending more time with friends, more date nights, and a weekly family game night).  Everyone around here is really excited to actually DO things in 2012.....we're ready to make it happen!!  What are your new years resolutions?