Friday Favorite

Just the one.

This week’s list is just one simple thing. 

It’s one thing in this world that I am grateful for, and blessed to be able to enjoy it to the fullest. It’s the one thing that allows me to keep going, to get up every morning and succeed.

My Friday favorite this week: LIFE.

Is it easy? Nope. Is it so hard some days I just want to throw in the towel and figure it out when I have the strength? Yup. Do I let my disappointments get the best of me? Not anymore. Do I sit and wonder if people like me? Not anymore. I’m better than that. I love MYSELF enough to know that I can stand on my own, without the constant need to please others, to live in THEIR little bubbles. I am better off taking care of myself than trying to stick around for those who only communicate out of convenience, who aren’t truly committed to being their best self.

There’s a point in your life where you need to weigh your options. Is it worth staying in a relationship (romantic or otherwise) that doesn’t allow me to grow as a person? Is it worth staying at a job that takes away my will to live? Is it worth staying where I am at health wise? Do I need to readjust my interactions to better MY life? Do I need to sever ties with people in my life because they are far too negative to be around?

NEWSFLASH FRIENDS!! 

It’s okay to remove yourself from people and situations that do not allow you to grow, to change, to LOVE YOURSELF. People will come in and out of your life all the time – so why hold a place for a group that sucks the joy out of your world? Open up your heart to let so much happiness and positivity in, that nothing (and I mean NOTHING) can bring you down!

Life certainly hasn’t been all that and a bag of chips lately for me, that’s for darn sure. However, I have started to change my mindset to not dwell on the pile of dog shit I’ve been dealt – but rather, see the positive from all situations. Smile more – for starters. Even if it’s just at your monitor at work. Practice smiling more. Smile at people in the hall. Say hello. See how that changes. Looking at life differently has changed how I interact with my friends, my family, my coworkers. Being negative all the time was putting out an energy that did not correlate with who I am as a person. It was masking who I am because I was so miserable, I couldn’t get myself out of it. 

Waking up one morning and deciding to take that negative energy and shove it out the window was probably one of the best choices I’ve made in a long time. I still have moments where I play the “woe is me” card – as mentioned in almost every post – self love is a JOURNEY. There will be road blocks, obstacles, bad days. But it’s what you do with those bad days that makes this life worth living.

I stopped relying on alcohol to make me feel better. Do I still drink? Yup. But not NEAR as much as I did before. Wine was my crutch – sometimes a bottle a night (not every night, just the nights I was feeling super down.). It was scary – because it DIDN’T scare me that I was drinking that much. I still enjoy a glass or two from time to time, and since doing that, I feel so much better. I have a clearer understanding of what is bothering me, and how to deal with it. I started a journal to write down some serious issues I have been having, and how I can fix them. That’s the part that woke me up – seeing the plan in front of me WITHOUT the wine, and truly being present in the moment.

I have cut down my social media time, because I knew that was part of my problem. I don’t scroll near as much as I used to, and stopped following a bunch of people who only had negative things to say/complain about. There is SO much more to life than that! I still find myself mindlessly scrolling Instagram, because I follow more dogs than humans – so I allow that to be my mindless scroll app. I still get annoyed, and eventually shut my phone off. The quiet time is where I do my best thinking, my best planning, my best reflection.

Life is meant to be lived. Not constantly nitpicked and whining about. Another part of this self love journey is loving who YOU are and how YOU contribute to the world. Am I happy with my weight right now? Hell no. I have allowed excuses to become my crutch, and leaned on them for far too long. I have stopped eating right and instead fed into my emotional eating. Instead of posting all over social media about how I am feeling/what I need to do in order to get back to where I want to be, I am taking some time away from it and working on me. NO ONE is going to support you more than you supporting yourself and the choices you’re making. Once something worth sharing happens (goals being attained, crushed, exciting new changes), then I will get back on the posting wagon. But for now? Just taking time for me. Slowly cutting those bad habits out again, and believing that I myself WILL DO THIS. Why? Because it’s MY life, I get to choose what happens in it, and I am proud of the person I am.

My challenge to you this post is the following: look at your life. Truly take the time to reflect. Any relationship that isn’t helping you grow into your best version of yourself – cut it off at the source. Anything about your life you don’t like? YOU change it. Don’t wait around for someone else to do it for you. Feeling a little down? Do something that makes you happy. Doesn’t matter what it is – and don’t share it with the world. Do it for you, in silence on social media. 

Watch how amazing your LIFE is, when you’re living it for you, not the likes/comments. It won't change overnight - but trust the PROCESS and believe in it. I know you will find your happiest, truest self.