Aloha Sprinklerinos,
Merry Monday you little munchkins of motivation. Too much? Yeah, maybe.
I hope your weekends were delightful and that you are ready to face the week with a glad heart and a happy face.
I saw this quote last week and thought it was excellent.
For the mostest of years I have struggled with who I wanted to be. Or, moreover, who I thought I should be. Some people wanted me to be clever, some people wanted me to be a career woman, some people wanted me to be a stay-at-home-mummy/wifey, some people wanted me to be quiet and pretty to look at, some people wanted me to be this, that, the other and everything else. It was exhausting.
I found myself trying very, very hard to please everyone. Once, about 10 years ago, I had a male friend who I regarded far too highly, say to me, 'I think girls are these lovely creatures who are hairless and pretty and smell nice and that's just perfect to me'. I heard that as, 'Louise, to be perfect you need to shave everything to within an inch of it's life, change the way you look and wear perfume 24/7'.
In reality, this probably wasn't the message he was trying to give me (I actually think he was just being nostalgic about the girlfriend who had just split with him!) but it's what I took from it. I never stopped to think that his view of perfection was only one view or that his view of perfection was as valid as my own view, I just took it as gospel and proceeded to spend plenty of time with a box of veet and feeling substandard. Not cool.
Frustratingly, I still do this a bit now. I'll hear someone say something about somebody else and feel I need to live up to the same standard in order to be as attractive as them, as successful as them, as whatever as them. It's such wasted effort.
Coco had it right. A girl should be two things- who and what she wants. If I want to let my leg hair grow with free abandon, why shouldn't I? If I'm not as pretty as Uni Guy's ex, have I failed? If I forgo a spritz of perfume, am I not as worthy as those who smell like all the delights of a summer meadow?
NO.
It's funny because when I'm going about my life, just plodding on, I am REALLY happy. BUT, it only takes one person to say one thing and I find myself having a little wobble of self resolve. This week I am going to focus on this quote and when I find myself self doubting or questioning who I am, I will remind myself that I am who and what I want to be and that I am proud to be that person.
I'm going to focus on living up to only my own standards and not bending or shaping myself into being something other people want and encourage you to do the same. It's a classic but I think that as long as you are doing your best, that's all you need to be.
Am I the only one who feels this way or do you ever find yourself having a little wobble too? Want to work on it together?
Toodlepip!
xx
Contributor - Louise
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