Mirror, Mirror

Have you ever felt like you were being attacked? That everything you said and everything you did was just scrutinized. Not just by your parents or your peers but literally by everyone. The clerk at the bank, you're significant other, The waitress at the restaurant, the kids playing outside. The list could just go on and on but then do you ever believe that you could be the cause of what's bothering you. No, of course not everybody else is crazy and you are perfectly sane. Two tips: 1. Stop giving everybody the power to get under your skin. 2. Stop trying to follow everyone else's life and create your own life. It's not me, it is everybody else.  But, just in case this is really about you...what are you going to do? How are you going to change that? What if you were exactly what everybody else said you were but YOU refused to believe it. Aren't you tired of being the person everyone said you would be when that person is mean or busy or "crazy" or just not the person who you envisioned yourself being?

There are many times in life when you need to just look in the mirror and have a conversation with yourself. Self, I am tired of being who everybody says that I am. Self, when I look in the mirror I see greatness. How do I become the greatness that I see versus the mediocrity everyone is speaking into my life. First: Shut out the noise and find yourself. Who is it that you see in the mirror? Who is it that you want to see? Second: Treat yourself better so that you only accept that treatment as well.

Self, I want to be my best self, can you help me get there? Talking to yourself may seem crazy (Only if you answer back) but who else knows you like you do...there is a constant theme when it comes to self-growth and that first step is honesty with oneself. Look in the mirror and strip yourself of the expectations from outside factors. Find out what you expect from yourself like you know what you expect from everyone else. I expect my man to be this, I expect my mom to do this and I expect my dad to be there and I expect my friends to understand. But what do you expect from yourself? “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.”

You can call your friends, maybe even talk to your pastor but if you are not ready, to be honest with you and tell yourself to get out your way. Then you will constantly begin to perpetuate the stereotypes that have been placed on you. I truly believe a lot of greatness has been halted by our own personal thoughts about ourselves. Imagine if you did all of the things that people said you couldn't do instead of the things they said you would do. Give energy to the things you love instead of the things you dislike. Easier said than done...think about it. There are times when I have been pissed off and I have got to tell someone about how pissed off I am but what if I just wrote it down, thought about how to improve the situation and just moved on how much of a better position would I be in. Stop giving small situations big limitations.

Learning to get out your own way is hard. But allowing people to be in your way is easy, we use these people as tools. Tools to help count us out when we need to be counted in. Instead of having accountability partners we have self-doubt partners or pity-parties. I am tired of having a pity party and I am tired of having self-doubt crews. I enjoy people who hold me accountable, but when I am accountable for my actions I attract like minded people. The better I am to myself the better I am to others.

Mirror, Mirror give me eyes that allow me to see past the surface but eyes that allow me to see the

substance in myself.

Peace!