People can be really mean. What's been said can stick with someone for days, weeks, or years after it's said. I think all too often people forget the power of words- they can help heal or they can inflict lasting wounds.
I used to take what people said personally. When someone said something mean about me I'd get upset because I wanted to be liked. Let me tell you middle and high school girls can be especially cruel and far too many tears were wasted over rumors and judgments that were the furthest thing from the truth.
Luckily with age comes wisdom and I can happily say that what people say or think about me no longer affects me. I have developed a very thick skin. A big part of not caring about what other people think of me comes from working in a newsroom. Let me tell you that a newsroom can be very cruel place. You see things on a day to day basis that most people will never see- crime scenes, horrific accidents, etc. These things affect you and you have to find a way to disconnect. It sounds horrible, but eventually you become desensitized to things, but as a reporter you have to take your thoughts and emotions out of the equation so you can do your job. Broadcasting is also a very competitive field and sadly a lot of who gets a job can boil down to how someone looks. I have had news directors tell me that they love the story I covered, but they don't like how my face looks on camera. If I took every comment that I've received like that personally I would wear a bag over my head 24/7.
Mean people say mean things because they are often insecure about something in their own life or they are just jealous. The other day I shared on instagram that a man approached me at the gym and told me that my calves were too muscular. His comment never affected me at any level and I never got mad. As I shared in my post I actually feel sorry for him because he feels the need to try to degrade others to make himself feel good. Kindness wins you more friends every time. Honestly I am glad he said his comment to me and not someone else who would have fretted over his words. I love my legs, calves included. Are they really muscular? Yup. I like how strong my legs are. My legs enable me to run long distances, lift heavy weights, skate, dance, and live life.
Now when people say mean things they just bounce off of me. I don't give their words one thought or second of my time. It's simply not worth it. Why spend your life worrying about what other people think of you? There are going to be people who will never like you and no matter what you will never be good enough for them. Why would you want to waste valuable energy on such people? People who are worthy of your time are those who love you unconditionally and could care less about how you look.
It has definitely taken time for me to get to where I am in my journey. I did not wake up one day and just decide that I was no longer going to care what people thought about me. Constantly caring about what other people thought of me was draining. I was so busy trying to please people, some of who I really did not care for, that I lost my sense of self. Instead of trying to please people I began to work at being good at things that made me happy. I worked toward being a good reporter, good daughter, good friend, and I have found fulfillment in those roles.
It is incredibly freeing to not worry about what others think about you. I don't care if that man thinks my calves are too muscular, or if someone thinks I shouldn't lift heavy weights, or if I'm not pretty enough to be on camera. I really mean it when I say I have never felt so free in my life.
The journey may not be easy, but it is so worth it. I laugh more freely, I dance like no one is watching, and I live life without limits because I know who I am. I am happy with who I am and my happiness does not depend on other people and what they think of me, and neither should yours. Your happiness should come from within and from knowing you are loved unconditionally by the creator of the universe.
Happy Thursday! This week has been a tad hectic, hence the lack of blog posts, but I didn't want to miss a thinking out loud post. I'm just going to jump right this week, so here we go!
1. Maybe I'm incredibly lame, no I know I'm incredibly lame, but instead of going out on a Friday night I stayed home and baked muffins. Am I in my 20's or 80's? I do love going out with friends, but I've never been the clubbing type. When we go out we go to a bar to watch a hockey or football game and have a few drinks. I'm much more of the stay at home, drink cheap wine, bake, dance like a nut because no one is judging me, and watch Friends reruns.
2. I did go out on Sunday night, but it was to a hockey game and it was over by 7pm😂 one of my good friends plays in a rec hockey league so another friend of mine and I decided to go to his game. Neither team is overly great, but it's rec hockey so it's pretty much all for fun anyway. My friend's team won and it was a lot of fun to cheer for him. Another wild night obviously😬
3. My boyfriend and I had date night Saturday night and decided to try a new place. We drove to a nearby town and tried a local brewery, but it ended up being ironic because neither of us drank. I can't have beer and he doesn't like it. The place was quite hipstery and so much so that we didn't know what some of the things on the menu were, so we had to break out Google😂 We laughed about it and the food ended up being good, but we stick to our favorite places for a reason.
4. This is in case you're in need of a laugh. I found this picture while I was at Target getting shampoo and eye drops. How I ended up in the home section I really have no idea, the real question is how do I always end up in the home section?! It's a fun store to browse though and this gave me a good laugh. I'd also like to add that I only got the items I went for so I was proud- I think we all know Target can be a bottomless pit.
5. I am missing the beach big time! For being January the weather has been surprisingly mild for MI, but the days have been really gray and I'm not sure that last time I saw the sun was. I am more than ready for sunshine, laying on the beach, and enjoying time out on the water. BRING ON SUMMER😎☀
6. I am not one to get political, at least not on the internet, but this tweet struck a chord with me (and no I'm not on twitter). I don't care what your political views are but no one should ever want a president to fail. Regardless of who the president is if they fail it will be bad for our country and for everyone in our country. Do you have to agree with the president? Absolutely not. That's the great thing about this country is we do have freedom of speech and can make our voices heard. I don't think anyone will agree with every single thing a president says or does 100% of the time regardless of political party affiliation.
I'm going to keep it short this week and end it there. Have a terrific Thursday and remember to smile😄
What are your plans for the weekend?
Do you prefer to stay in or go out on the weekends?
Happy Thursday! This week has felt so long, it might have something to do with me being incredibly sleep deprived, nonetheless I'm ready for the weekend. If there's a bunch of spelling and grammatical errors I apologize and blame the lack of sleep. Let's jump right into this weeks thinking out loud.
1. Valentine's Day is still basically a month away but the stores have had their displays up since the day after Christmas and I'm kind of tired of it. I tend to think Valentine's Day is overrated anyway. Maybe I'm just a party pooper but I have always subscribed the idea that if you love someone you should tell them every single day, not just show it one day of the year. Of course it's fun to celebrate and do things together but I'd rather do little things throughout the year for each other. I also don't like candy so maybe that's part of the reason I don't like Valentine's Day🙊
2. Let me start by saying I hated on DNCE so hard because I cannot stand their song Toothbrush, do we really need to sing about a toothbrush?! I was scrolling through the iTunes store and this popped up as a recommendation so I previewed the song and I actually liked it😳 It's a slower song and it actually tells a story, unlike Cake by the Ocean. I found it really relatable, especially where they sing I love you more than you love me.
3. One of my friends from college and I always joked that were really old ladies because we loved to watch HGTV. This popped up on my Facebook feed the other day and I had to laugh because I never understood why my parents watched all those home renovation shows when I was younger, but now I'll sometimes watch them with my parents😂 I love looking at all the beautiful homes and getting ideas for my future home. I also love me some Fixer Upper, Chip and Joanna seem so down to earth and fun.
4. I FINALLY got a chance to skate on the lake. With everything going on I've hardly had a moment to breathe so when I got some down time over the weekend I broke out the skates, tapped up the sticks, grabbed a puck, and headed out on the lake. My boyfriend came over and we passed the puck around for awhile and for never playing hockey he caught on to passing fairly quick. I also grabbed a tennis ball to pass around for Cora. She loved running along the ice with us while we skated and passed the puck, she was so tired the next day she slept almost the entire day.
5. You know you're officially old when you like grocery shopping. Granted I've always liked grocery shopping, but it was a moment I had to myself. There was so many epic sales on fruits and veggies so I stocked up. I got organic avocados for 66 cents each and blueberries were 98 cents! Yes, I really do get excited about these things, sad but true.
6. I shared this on instagram but I think it's worth sharing again. I found this sticky note on the mirror at the gym and I loved it. It's so easy to get caught up in the comparison game and find our flaws, but we need to appreciate our bodies for what they can do. Love yourself, love your body and embrace your flaws because they make you you.
I'll end things there this week, have a great Thursday and remember to smile😀
What is your favorite way to spend time outside in the winter?
If you could go back and tell your younger self one thing what would you say?
