I don't know about you, but I've always found the word GRIT annoying.  Over the past few years I've been tested and have a full and personal understanding of the word.  It has a whole new meaning for me in my life in terms of discomfort, fear and turning those negative emotions into resilience.  Just talking about my journey of getting tougher and less soft.

After reflecting this morning and thinking about my past, I realized something....I have spent a majority of my life not realizing that I can be deliberate about my day, which leads to weeks, months and ultimately my life.  Being intentional about how you want to move in the world is your responsibility.  It is our choice and is what creates a life.  Do you move through your life being deliberate about what you want to achieve?

Who do you allowed in your world, in your space?  Your partner, your friends, family, co-workers.  Do you realize the impact being around these people has on you, your mindset and your wellbeing?  More importantly, how do you let your inner voice speak to you?  Are you hard on yourself?  Do you like yourself when you're by yourself?  Are you encouraging and deliberate about what you allow yourself to think?  Taking a deep dive into the inner trappings of what we surround ourselves with. 

I have a responsibility to be my best self.  In my quest to be my best, it requires me to constantly circle back to who and what I am and what I want to be.  It requires me to remind myself that I am not my past, my thoughts and my emotions.  I don't need to feel and be so owned by all of the weight I carry around.  I can let go of it.  I can free myself of the burden of feeling inadequate or insecure.  As I often say, life is a journey and a practice.  We fall off the path sometimes and the only thing we need to do is redirect and take one step forward.

This week I'm talkin' about how I need to regularly remind myself that I need to not hold onto the negative thoughts that will randomly pop into my head...mainly about myself. Automatic Negative Thoughts ANTS have played a leading role in my head for a good part of my life.  It's not the easiest thing to overcome but I'm working on it....daily and as a result, I'm noticing I'm a happier person.  

Until I learned that I was not my emotions, I was not able to understand that I didn't need to be defined by them.  It's a process of letting go, healing, realization of myself and forgiveness of myself for myself.  I feel better, younger, more free and alive and happier than I have when I was in my 20's.  I've learned so, so much over the years.  I went thru a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering in the past but now that I know better I can live more free.

I'm in a place in my life where I am the most aware of myself than I have ever been.  I love being free of the weight of all of my own judgement of myself.  It opens you up for a life of more happiness and ease. Just a bit about my thought process on freeing myself from my own mental prison.

In my youth, rejection had put me in a place that has made me feel defeated, deflated and I have deeply judged myself based on being rejected. Over time, I have decided to reframe the idea of rejection.  I now look at it as an indication that I need to pivot.  It's not something I pour a ton of energy into.  It is something that I need to learn from and take a new and better direction.  Our perspective is everything in life. 

If you asked me a few year's ago if I knew how to build self confidence I don't think I would be able to clearly answer that question. Over my 2.5 year journey of self discovery I have come to realize that self confidence is literally your opinion of yourself at a core level.  Do you trust yourself, Do you like yourself, Do you keep your word to yourself, Are you a good friend to yourself?  All of these things add up.  They add up to who you believe you are, what you think you're capable of and how you go out into the world.  

Join me in my convo about how my definition of self confidence has transpired over the years.

I believe that self awareness is a super power.  If one can access their true self it is a real asset.  When I sit in silence I can tap into the true essence of who and what I am but if left to my own devices, I'm just going rogue in a world of emotion and thought.  A short convo of my thought evolution of self awareness.