Be true

Dear Moving-Forward Girl,

Sometimes things happen in life that are very unfair and very painful...things that make us want to drop everything and tell our side of the story. We want to shout from the rooftops about what happened and how it got portrayed unfairly. Sometimes it takes a very long time for the truth to come out...and it is very very frustrating.

Incredible girl, please do the math and decide whether it is best to just move forward and keep doing good things and living a good life before you give your whole life to telling your side of the story. We can lose years of our lives trying to convince others that we have been wronged. Usually those who are waiting in the wings demanding to hear the juicy details are not the ones who stand beside us no matter what the story is.

Just keep being you. Just keep moving forward. Keep focused on where you want to end up and who you want to be with and how you want to feel. When we are true...the truth comes out shining bright. (even if we have to be patient and wait for it to happen)

When yucky things happen, it does not help to retaliate with more yucky things. What helps is taking the high road, being true and walking away from the fight. Even if fists are still swinging...people can fight AT us without fighting WITH US. There is absolutely no shame in walking away from the fight when it is time to walk away.

Don’t ever let a situation turn you into someone you are not. Be you. The truth will always reveal itself.

You are strong enough. Be true....and just keep being true. You are so very very very loved.

xoxo

Thanks, Brave Girls Club.

The truth of who you really are

The Brave Girls Club has this uncanny knack of knowing just what I need to hear in regards to my most current struggle.  Here's another perfect example.

Dear Gorgeous Girl,

You might sometimes forget the truth of who you really are. You might step back into the muck that has pulled you in and feel that old feeling of yucky inadequacy that has kept you stuck so many times. Remember that those icky feelings do not come from a place of truth.

When you are tired, weary, feeling weak and on shaky ground....that's the most important time to remember your magnificence. You must do your best to stay in the truth...the truth that you were created for a wonderful purpose, that there is a plan for you, that you are a miraculous & beautiful creation...a masterpiece.....that you are not just a number...that after you were made, the mold was broken and there is NOT A SINGLE SOUL on the face of the earth who is just like you.

You are SO important. You are SO LOVED. You are seen. You have not been forgotten. You are doing a wonderful job.

You are phenomenal. Don't forget it.

xoxo

I know better now, so I can do better now

Awesomeness from the Brave Girls Club.  Love the mantra: "I know better now, so I can do better now."

Dear Merciful Girl,

What if? WHAT IF today was the day that you chose to stop blaming yourself for choices you have made (choices that you would make differently today, knowing what you know now, and being who you are now). What if instead you put your arm around yourself and kissed yourself smack on the cheek and said...

"I know better now, so I can do better now"....

...and then let it be done, once and for all.

No more blame, no more shame.

Then, what if that made you feel loved and safe enough to take all of the responsibility for those choices and turn those choices into fuel that will feed your beautiful new life with wisdom and experience?

WHAT IF?

Wouldn't that be so much easier, so much more peaceful, so much more loving and merciful, and SO MUCH MORE PRODUCTIVE and RIGHT?

Yes, it would, beautiful friend. But you are the one who has to do it.

Sure hope you will.

You are so so sooo very loved.
xoxo

Listen to the truths

Dear Spectacular Girl,

You can be told a million times over how incredible you are, how loved you are and how much others believe in you and yet sometimes it's just too hard to believe for yourself. Sometimes, you just need to know what is true and what is real for your own self....

Beautiful girl, please take time to listen to the truths that are there for you. Seek for the deepest truth of who you are, who you were created to be, what your purpose is and the deepest truth about the individual plan that is meant just for you.

It is nice to know what others think of us. It is nice to hear nice things about our hair or our shoes or the way we decorate our house. But what is most important sweet friend is not the thoughts or opinions that others have of you. It is so important to do the work that it takes to come to the solid realization that you are a precious, amazing soul....that there is a plan for you and that if everything external was taken away from you, you would still BE YOU. You are the beauty. You are the miracle. YOU ARE ENOUGH. YOU ARE PHENOMENAL.

And...you are so deeply deeply deeply loved.

xoxo

Thank you, Brave Girls' Club.

Seek peace, sweet girl

Brave Girls Club

Dear Gorgeous Girl,

Peace is good. Peace is so so good. It is worth it to travel whatever lengths you need to go to feel peace. Often, peace is right in front of our face if we will just silence everything else. Then sometimes we have to make really tough choices or go to great lengths to feel at peace. Whatever it takes, it is worth it. Always go where the peace is, especially the peace in your heart.

Peace is defined as in the dictionary as: freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession, etc.; tranquility; serenity. But peace is also defined as the normal, non-warring condition of a nation, group of nations, or the world (or ourselves). Another definition of peace is silence; stillness.

When making tough decisions, you will never regret making the decision that brings the most peace to your heart. Sometimes it doesn't bring the most peace to your LIFE in the short term, but if it is what brings the most peace to your HEART, that's the place to go. Always go where the peace is.

Seek peace, sweet girl.

You are loved.
xoxo

You made it through

Dear Phenomenal Girl,

This was a year that you made huge strides that you won't even recognize for awhile. You touched people's lives that you don't even know about. You were protected from situations that you never saw coming, and so you don't even know how big that protection was. You overcame things that you weren't expecting and you made it through days that sometimes you weren't sure you could make it through. You woke up almost every day and decided to make the most of that day....and you did. You saw beautiful things, met beautiful people, and shared your beauty too.

This might be a chapter that you are thankful is over, and it might be one that made you laugh and that you will fondly remember. This year might be right in the middle of a chapter and the story of it has not played out yet.....your story goes on from here!

This year you grew. This year you learned. This year you had 12 whole months of brand new experiences that are a part of YOUR story. This year your story was rich with ups and downs and tragedy and triumph.

This year you made it through.

Sounds like a pretty fantastic year to me.

You are so loved...now and forever.
xoxo

Courtesy of Brave Girls' Club

Remembering that you always pull through

http://vickioart.com/

Beautiful, Courageous Girl,

You have been through a lot, and you always pulled through. You are a champ at pulling through! Sure, there were some things that you may have done differently given the chance, but all in all, you made it through every storm, every fire and up every mountain.

When is the last time you sat down to REALLLLY think about how far you have come? When is the last time you listed all of the things you have learned, all of the weaknesses you have overcome and all of the times you chose to see the good stuff even though the bad stuff seemed to outweigh it?

Sometimes you just need to tally it all up. We all forget how far we have come and we only focus on how far we still have to go. Imagine having to run a marathon and never knowing how many miles you have run, you would probably feel like it would never end!

You are so much further along that you think you are. You are so much stronger than you think you are. You have done so much more in the world than you think you have.

Sit down today and really think about the long path that has brought you to now and pat yourself on the back a little. You did a great job!!! And you will continue to do a great job.

Thanks for being so brave. You inspire more people than you will ever know! And you are so very very loved.

xoxo

Courtesy of the Brave Girls Club

Dear Valuable Girl

Must remember...must remember...must remember...  Thank you for reading my mind, Brave Girls Club.

Dear Valuable Girl,

You don't always have to be so tough, you know. There are people all around who want to help and would jump at the chance if they knew how to help and what you really need and want. There are so many people who love you. You don't have to carry this alone.

Somehow it happens that we isolate ourselves over time, stuck in a mode of survival, and forgetting that there's anything else to think about beyond how to get through the next day, or even the next few minutes. Life is not meant for that kind of living, even though there are stages of life that can stretch for a long time living this way.

Try to reach out today. Call a friend and be really honest about where you are. Try something new -- a new skill, a new recipe, a new route to the same old places. This will help you get unstuck and begin to build a life that is about THRIVING and ENJOYING rather than surviving and enduring. You are SO STRONG and you are so great at surviving and enduring, friend. But everyone who loves you want more for you than that. YOUR SOUL wants more than that, too. You know that, right?

You can do this. There are so many smiles and laughs and new friendships and new adventures ahead for you. Your best years have not even been lived yet. You have so much to look forward to. Decide to LIVE BIG!

xoxo

Authentic Self

There are times when I feel so lost.  Not just in life or in relationships, but in myself.  And that's a scary place to be and it certainly does not feel good.  So reminders such as this from the Brave Girls Club, really help me breathe and remember that I don't need to feel hopeless and lost.  I just need to regroup and remember.

Dear Brave Girl,

You are still in there, every single bit of you. You might feel like you don't know who you are anymore, that your identity has been lost, that you are living a life that you can't even recognize or that your hopes and dreams have been sucked away but some crazy whirlwind . . .whether it happened quickly or very very slowly.

Your soul is in there, your heart is in there, your hopes and dreams and good memories and that happy, fun, adventurous YOU is in there. It is!

You just gotta get unstuck, and you can. You really can. The first thing you must do is put faith in that hope that you are still in there, then listen to that hope. Talk to it. Ask it where it has been and what it needs to come back out. Then keep listening and take action.

It's not too late. It's never, ever too late, and right now seems like the EXACT right time to begin the process of restoring your authentic self back to her true form. You can do it. Don't let the world miss out on you anymore, gorgeous girl. We need you. YOU need you!

You can do it. You are a brave girl, and you are SO loved.

xoxo

Finding beauty

Yet another awesome bit of insight from the Brave Girls Club.

Dear grateful girl,

It might seem like so much is going wrong around you. It might even be true. But there are always many many more good things to see and wonderful things to be grateful for.

If we can get our thoughts to sway away from feeling lack of any kind, whether it's financial or emotional or physical, and instead focus on every little simple and beautiful and lovely thing around us, our lives can be full and abundant and joyful.

When we have difficulties finding the beauty we are looking for or wanting to focus on, we always have the ability and the choice to go out and create it.

Between the beauty and the truth that is already out there to find, and what we can create, we can each find joy and strength at any time. Isn't that wonderful? Life is so good! And you are so loved.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

Listen to your heart

This.  This is what I need to do to really get started with...everything. Sign.  Thank you BGC. 

Dear Beautiful Girl,

What are you willing to let go of today? Life is so much about knowing what to hold on to, and what to let go of...and having faith that it will all work out in the end.

Your heart and your gut know exactly what you need to let go of, even if your brain is giving you all sorts of reasons to clamp your fingers around it. There are seasons and times to have different things, relationships and situations in your life...and then the seasons change and it's time to let go of many of those things. Change is hard....but change is absolutely necessary.

We've all got to let go of old habits, old situations, old behaviors and sometimes even old relationships to make room for what is meant for the next part of our lives. If we just get quiet, get brave, and listen very closely....our hearts will tell us what to let go of. This doesn't mean it will be easy...it just means that it is what is meant for now.

You can do this.

Listen to your heart.

Be brave. You are loved.
xoxo

Burdens

Dear Perfectly Wonderful Girl,

Are you carrying an old or new burden around like a heavy bag of rocks, letting it drag you down and hold you back? Is it a belief about yourself or someone else....is it a mistake you made...is it something that someone else did to you that you can not overcome?

It is time to stop shaming yourself. It is time to start treating yourself with the kind of love that you treat others with. It is time to overcome it.

You are not your past, and you are not your mistakes. You are not what others say you are and you are not your limitations, your weaknesses or your frailties. You are not the horrible things that others have done to you. You are not your addictions or your family or your dress size or your tax return.

You are a priceless, authentic, light-filled soul......no one has ever been created just like you and no one ever will be. You are worth more than you can ever know.

It is time to see yourself this way....with unconditional love, kindness and forgiveness. Today, let go of the shame.....let go of it. It is time.

You are so very loved.

xoxo

Wonderful girl

Dear Perfectly Wonderful Girl,

Are you carrying an old or new burden around like a heavy bag of rocks, letting it drag you down and hold you back? Is it a belief about yourself or someone else? Is it a mistake you made? Is it something that someone else did to you than you cannot overcome?

It is time to stop shaming yourself. It is time to start treating yourself with the kind of love that you treat others with. It is time to overcome it.

You are not your past, and you are not your mistakes. You are not what others say you are and you are not your limitations, your weaknesses, or your frailties. You are not the horrible things that others have done to you. You are not you addictions or your family or your dress size or your tax return.

You are a priceless, authentic, light-filled soul. No one has ever been created just like you and no one ever will be. You are worth more than you will ever know.

It is time to see yourself this way, with unconditional love, kindness, and forgiveness. Today, let go of the shame. Let go of it. It is time.

You are loved loved loved.

xoxo

From the Brave Girls Club

The first step

Dear Brave Girl,

It starts with that first, really scary step, that step that we sometimes spend years avoiding and procrastinating, and that we often tell ourselves day after day that we will finally take 'tomorrow'.

What is so scary about that first step?

First, let's put it into perspective and what it really is. It's just a step, lovely. Just a step. You don't have to decide right now if you will take the next step after the first one.

Just commit to that first scary step. Put the silly fears out of your mind. It doesn't matter what others think about that first step. It doesn't matter if your first step is clumsy or looks ridiculous or if it doesn't get you as far as you thought it would.

It doesn't matter if you fall that first time. It doesn't matter.

You know you want to take that step or it wouldn't be burning it your heart the way it is, the way it has been for so long.

One thing is for sure. You can stop after you take that first step, or you can take another one, and then another. You get to choose.

Remember that without taking that first step, you will NEVER get to where you truly want to be because you will still be where you are NOW.

You can do it. Start today! You are so brave. And you are so loved.

xoxo

Thank you, Brave Girls Club.  Now if I could only actually get over the fears and take that first very, very, very scary step.

You are gonna make it

Some days, my daily email from the Brave Girls' Club simply makes me smile.  Sometimes it makes me cry with realization.  And other times, it just really hits home with whatever I am currently battling against at the moment.  This was a prime example of the latter.

Dear Amazing Girl,

It's perplexing how we can go along feeling perfectly wonderful all day long...even for weeks at a time, even for months....feeling like we are on track, doing the right things...feeling completely content, grateful and like our life is our own and we are living it exactly the way we are supposed to be individually living it...and then BAM! WHAM! SLAM!! ..... we get the wind knocked out of us.

What are some of the the things that stop us dead in our tracks and take our wind away? Comparing. Criticizing. Complaining. Doubting. Fearing. Imagining the worst. Letting other people get to us. Letting opinions get to us. Letting the ways of the world get to us.

Beautiful girl....remember that bumps in the road and bad days are completely normal...even when we are on track. Remember that things happen that could potential derail us, but that we have the power to not allow that to happen. Remember that WHENEVER we spend ANY time comparing our lives, or our selves, or our bodies, or our homes, or our jobs or our children to ANYONE else's life and everything that goes along with it...it never goes anywhere good. Remember that YOU ARE ONE IN 7 BILLION......incomparable, unforgettable and just right exactly as you are.

A great way to get all of the air back in your lungs and your feet moving in the right direction is simply to keep kindness and good thoughts in your heart...to be happy for others....to let go of worries...to let things go and live simply....to give and love and serve without expecting anything in return.....and to REMEMBER that bad days always turn around and there's a tomorrow after them that is brand new...and ready to be painted beautiful colors.

You are gonna make it. You ARE making it.

You are very very very loved.
xoxox

SEE the way things really are

Dear Beautiful Girl,

Most all of us have private little hurts that no one really knows about...things that we struggle with day after day...with a smile on our faces, doing our best to make the most of life, but with a tinge of pain that is almost always there. It is the human part of us.

Sometimes the hurts and the struggles are so big, so so big, and we do a really good job of covering them up and working through them, and inside we are weary and tired. Isn't this true, lovely friend? Sometimes we just want others to SEE so that we can stop making excuses for all of the things that we can not do.

The most important thing we can do, the most HEALING thing we can do is to recognize this pain in others, even when we have our own to deal with. Sometimes when someone seems grouchy, distant or irresponsible, it is because they are doing all that they can to hold everything together. Sometimes this is truer than true about our own selves.

We need to be kind, compassionate and patient with each other. We need to look past the way things may look on the outside and SEE the way things really are. We need to love each other in all of our frailness, in our weakness and in our "worst" moments....we need to do this for others, but we MOST OF ALL need to do this for ourselves.

You are doing enough. You are stronger and braver than you think you are. You are not alone in the way that you feel, each person beside you, in front of you and behind you is also working through something right now.

Be kind to YOU, be kind to others. We can do SO MUCH for each other.
xoxo

Thank you for the reminder, Brave Girls Club.  You always know what to say and when I most need to hear it.  

Don't be afraid to face your giants

Dear Beautiful Girl,

Don't be afraid to face your giants. Don't be afraid to stand face to face, toe to toe with what is scaring you the most. Don't be afraid to pull the things that are taunting you in the darkness out into the light to see what they really are.

Our fears, our hurts and our biggest holdbacks very often lose all of their power once they are brought out into the light and to be seen for what they truly are. Many times they are simply figurative bullies, and not much more. Many times our fears have no merit, our hurts are not worth the energy we put into them, and the things holding us back most are things we have outgrown long ago.

We hold on to things for years because we let them linger and grow in the background, in the closets and deep in our hearts....when all we need to do is pull them out, take a look at them....and see if they really should hold ANY more of our energy, our brain space or any of the words that ever come from our mouth again.

It doesn't make us weak to let go of old garbage from our past...whether it's years ago or whether it was yesterday. It doesn't make us weak to forgive and forget and move on.......it is a sign of strength and character and of taking control of our own futures....our own feelings...our own place in the world.

Bring it all out into the light. It's so much nicer, sunnier, warmer, prettier and happier in the light.

Shine on, lovely friend.

xoxo

The Brave Girls Club - always love their little gems of wisdom.  

Do what you can

Now I just need to actually follow the advice as I know I should.  Thank you, again, Brave Girls Club.

Dear Soulful Girl,

All you can do is all you can do. There's really nothing more that you can do, so fretting over things that you don't have any more time, energy or resources to accomplish is only going to make things miserable when they don't have to be. It's time to slow down, sweet friend. It is ok.

When you have done all that you can, please let it be enough. This means, when you have done all that you can while also getting enough sleep, exercise and time to recharge...this doesn't mean getting all that you can done with 2 hours of sleep, a meal at a drive-through and running as fast as you can everywhere you go....feeling miserable, strung out and cranky.

Life is as crazy and harried as we allow it to be. When we want to make things special for those we love, we need to remember that what they want most is US. They want time with us. They want us to feel good and to be in a good mood and to be present. They want happy memories that include us. Sometimes this means that we must simplify so that we do not fall apart. Some times this means we need to let go of our idea of perfection and just show up AS IS.

So, please sit down with yourself and be realistic. What is necessary and what is not? What is making you crazy and could be let go of? What do you want MOST to give? Prioritize and let some things go...it is ok. YOU matter. YOU are the best gift you can give. YOUR time, your heart, your words, your presence....THAT is the greatest gift.

You are so loved.
xoxo

Blossoming girl

Dear Blossoming Girl,

Yes yes yes, it is frustrating to go backwards, or what feels like backwards. Yes, it is annoying and downright exhausting to find that in spite of our best efforts and plans, things are spinning, whirling, and making a wild ride out of our life.

Sometimes there just isn’t a better way to get to get to where we are going, than to go THROUGH a wild patch of dizzy making ups and downs. Sometimes we want to go around it, but often we really must go THROUGH it.

We learn really good things when we are stretched, pulled, whirled and twirled. We learn things about LIFE, but mostly we learn things about ourselves. We learn that we are pretty darned tough, pretty darned awesome and pretty darned smart.

And when we know that stuff, we know we can do anything.

And then we don’t have to be afraid. We can just live, and do good things and be happy and pull others up when they are down. And then, we realize it was all worth it.

It will be worth it.
You are so very very very loved.
xoxo

Brave Girls Club

Let the worries go

Often, I share the words from the Brave Girls Club.  They take such a fresh and inspirational look on common fears and insecurities.  I always feel a bit better after reading my email from them.  

Dear Phenomenal Girl,

It is normal to feel worried about the future, but with that in mind, please remember that while it is normal for those thoughts to cross your mind, there is absolutely nothing good that can come from dwelling on your negative or scary worries about the future.

Do what you can do today, and then let it be done. When you wake up in the morning, greet the day with a smile and decide to do all that you can do in that day, and let that be enough. Because, you know what? You can’t do anything more than ALL you can do, and to worry about anything beyond that will only bring you misery and frustration.

Remember that there was a time that you worried that you wouldn’t make it through the next day, and you always did -- you are here aren’t you? Wouldn’t it be oh-so-much more wonderful to live each day to it’s fullest, doing your very best, and then let it go? Everything will work out in the way it should -- and all we can do is all we can do, and we CAN do it with a smile, with a spring in our step, and with hope in the future if we choose to do so.

Let the worries go. It is gonna work out, beautiful friend.

xoxo