Rise And Shine!

​I spent a lot of years hiding. It didn't start out that way. I remember feeling free and excited about life but as I went through my teenage years and early adulthood, negative people came into my life. I got judged, I got hurt. I took on the weight of others approval like it was my responsibility. I look around the world at what others were saying was worthy and beautiful and saw that I wasn't those things.

My perspective shifted from all the amazing things I could do with my life and body and instead I was just full of shame for not being enough. So I hid. I watered myself down. I tried to make everybody happy. I tried to find my worth in being valued by others. I had it all wrong. There will always be people that disagree with you, that are hateful even. Your job as a human being isn't to make everyone happy, it's to be fully YOU. The light and creativity that you have will serve and inspire others. Being willing to be authentic and vulnerable, sharing who you truly are will make some people walk out of your life but they are the people that don't belong there. When you are shining brightly and pursuing your talents, than you will attract others that share your passions and those are people with which you can truly connect!

I was so afraid to see the mass exodus that I didn't shine and I felt shame. Shame for not not being enough and shame for hiding. It's funny, it was never about other people seeing my worth. The moment I decided to be ME, I saw my own! The very act of being vulnerable made me feel beautiful because that's what I see as beautiful in others. Once I could be seen, my fellow weirdos found me! We only have one life, let's not spend it hiding! Ive learned that the feeling of shame is a warning for me now. When I get that emotion, I know I have a choice. Believe the lie that I am not worthy, or reject it and move on. It takes awhile to walk through it at first but it will serve you greatly! Ladies, you are already beautiful and worthy! Be aware of your thoughts. Notice when you start to think negatively about yourself or your body. Reject those thoughts. Remind yourself of the truth and step outside your comfort zone and share your struggles with people you can trust. Shame makes us feel alone in our struggles, but, I promise, it's all of us!