Learning to celebrate your strengths

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So many times, as women especially, we are SO critical of ourselves. We worry that everyone else is perfect and we are hopelessly flawed. When I saw that my friend Elena over at CiaoMom was doing a link up celebrating the things we DO like about ourselves, I wanted to be involved.

At first I was a little nervous, as there are many things I don’t like about myself, however, since I have been through so much this past year, I have a different perspective. I have learned to love myself for who I am, flaws and all. I have learned that perfect is not all it seems to be. And I am much happier and content in my own skin.

8 things I like about me (in no particular order):

1. My hair- I hated my hair when I was younger. It was limp and no body. As I get older, I love the way my hair is changing, how it falls, the body it has now. (I think it may have something to do with the gray, lol!)
2. My body build- Sure I have some weight to lose, but I am proud of my strong hips and thighs and even my butt. I cannot imagine being a build that doesn’t have a butt. My thigh muscles are strong and allow me to hike and climb. Oh, and I have a skinny waist, even being overweight! And my husband likes the way I fill my jeans, thank you very much!
3. My eyes- I have blue-green eyes. The awesome thing is that they change colors depending on what I am wearing. If I wear green or brown, they look more green. If I wear blue, black, purple, they shine blue! I love it!
4. I can talk to anybody- My dad was like this, and it used to drive me nuts that he would talk to strangers. Now I can do the same thing! I have used this in many ways through the years, in jobs, in church ministry, and in my everyday life.
5. Ability to build rapport- Not only can I talk to people, but I can build rapport easily. I enjoy meeting people and finding out what is important to them. I love to help people to help themselves!
6. The ability to be innovative and to think strategically- I have had several businesses, or helped develop businesses for others. I love brainstorming for new ideas and solutions!
7. My parenting style- This took many years to achieve, so my older kids (we have 4 young adults) didn’t get as much of the benefits. I finally learned to slack off a little. Not everything has to be such a big deal. The long-term goal and relationship is what is important, not whether they dye their hair red or get their cartilage pierced. I also learned to let natural consequences do their job without my getting involved. (then I am not the bad guy, lol!) I am in no way a perfect parent and I think that is part of it, I have been transparent with my kids, I don’t have an “I’m the parent and I said so” attitude.
8. My ability to teach and inspire- I remember speaking to a ladies group when I was so much younger. I was so nervous but loved it. I never had another opportunity until a few years ago. In my last job, which ended terribly, gave me to chance to build and expand this skill. I was able to create training programs and personal developments classes for my district. I loved working with those women, helping them to tap into their personal skills and watching their confidence grow. This is one major part of my job that I miss and one that I am seeking to incorporate in my blogging and in my upcoming business development.

Thank you for allowing me a minute to brag a bit!

Now, I encourage you to think about this for yourself.

Can YOU make a list of things you like about yourself? Or is it very hard for you to do? Consider linking up with us over at Ciao Mom, or feel free to list in the comments things that you do like about YOU.