It is so hard to be ourselves. We tell one another “just be yourself!” But it seems to take a lifetime to know ourselves well. It is the advice we pass on to adults who are going for an interview or a student studying, but somehow it is hard to be genuine. We see others and try to duplicate them. It may be the joker in the classroom that everyone loves. It can be the little actress who gets all the teachers to pay attention. It can be the room mother who has it all together.
We are all fine just as we are!
A competitive spirit can be good or bad.
Is there an unwritten formula that makes us want to conform? Why is it we all strive to be like the successful people? We jump on the bandwagon for new products even though we have a cabinet of things that work well. Shampoo seems to jump into the hands of any teenager! Buy and try! We wear the color of the season to be with the “in-crowd.” We buy the latest gadgets, because they are supposedly better than what we are using.
Well I am not there! I don’t like to replace the things that work well for me. This theory has come to me over the last 10 years especially. If it works then don’t mess with success. Often the new products are not made, as well as, the older ones. They may look brighter and shinier, but the parts are not replaceable so the whole unit has to be disposed of rather than repairing it. I am thinking of appliances, fans, and on/off switches. In the past one just replaced the broken knob or switch.
I was recently forced to throw out a fan that was molded into a unit. It wasn’t able to be fixed or to be cleaned. So many of the older appliances have lasted forever. I have a toaster that is 48 years old and still excellent. Like so many of the newer gadgets not all parts are equal. The coffee pots that make single servings using pods are not universal. Not all pods fit and of course, the prices have risen on the pods.
So back to the “just be yourself” mentality. As people we are all gifted so uniquely. I worked with a man years ago, who was so easy going. He was an excellent worker, but always so adaptable to changes. He made everyone around him pleasant. Our attitudes are contagious and so if we can be less rushed and more peaceful it helps everyone around us. I think of him often when I feel rushed thinking of how he always had time for others.
So how does this photo tie into this? Well Rosy is an American Bulldog and we have always had Boxers. Even all these stuffed animals are Boxer look-alikes. Of course, Rosy doesn’t know it or she might be jealous of when the kids are playing with their stuffed animals. She does want to be number one when we have people over. She waits for her time to be petted and adored. Animals want to be appreciated and we are no different. She reminds me to embrace myself and others.
In the office, I try to adhere to a schedule, but I try to give people extra time whenever possible. I think it is because I hate to be rushed through offices like a cattle call myself. I also dislike waiting and feel aggravated when I make an appointment and have to wait 40 minutes in the waiting room. That is just who I am and I have learned to like myself for being on time and expecting others to do the same. It is about knowing our own likes and dislikes. I have learned sometimes waiting is just part of life, but I don’t have to like it.
Talents are part of each person. Some people are musicians, bankers, caretakers, artists, seamstresses, drivers, electricians, plumbers, or hold other talents. There is a sweet woman who has had many setbacks in her life that I see. She has learned to speak up for herself, but is aggressive because no one has directed her in the skills of diplomacy. She doesn’t know when it is appropriate to say something. That is a learned gift as well. Our dispositions can be tamed and we can make adjustments, but it has to come from within ourselves.
What are your gifts? Who are you? Are you comfortable with your way of thinking? How do you process life? Do you need confirmation from others? Are you a bull in a china shop? All of these questions are great to journal on today.
Enjoy today. Delight in Living and be grateful for you and those you love. See the mini miracles in the interactions around you. Today I was in line at Hobby Lobby for wrapping paper. A clerk saw I only had a few things and offered to check me out. That was so appreciated. A mini miracle that made my morning schedule work better. Praise God.