porchtalk
8
have you ever thought about deciding who you want to be? it’s one of those gifts often overlooked i think. with no preamble you can start deciding just who it is you would most like to be. do you want to be funny and witty and the social butterfly of your neighborhood? or become more of a reader, gardener, politico? do you want to be the person who throws the best parties or camps every weekend? do you want to become a wine aficionado or wordsmith? do you want to wear dresses every day and capture a modern fifties look or start paying attention to your hair and make-up even though you’ve never given it much thought before? who do you want to be?
we can be whoever (unless you want to be a great opera singer and you sound like kermit the frog). but for the most part you can say i want to be… and become that. when i was younger i had learned habits of being quickly defensive, developed out of a need to be strong and not realizing there were other options. but i didn’t want to be that person. i very consciously decided i wanted to be a person who was calm and handled things as such, not quick with the tongue to be regretted later. and i did it. (not perfect mind you, there are moments)
i want to be a person who laughs a lot. i want to be generous of spirit, accepting not judging, listen more than talk. and kind. kindness is way up there, to be a kind person under all circumstances. i want to be a good friend, a good neighbor, a good daughter and very much a good wife. i want to write authentically on this blog. share and hope it reaches out somewhere and lands and is good. i want to dress great daily (man it’s hard to make the extra effort for the cute outfit when you know you’re not going anywhere.. but that will be the day someone drops in unexpectedly if i don’t), because it makes a difference in how i feel, and it never hurts to feel like i’m putting my best dressed leg forward. these are parts of the person i want to be.
there are many things i want to be, more to be shared in a future post. the idea is to start now thinking about who you want to be and to do it. practice and you will become.
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Filed Under: porchtalk
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I love this advice!! It’s so much better to choose the way you want to be than to be the way you are just because that’s the way you’ve always been. Change is so good and improving ourselves by choosing the kind of person we want to be is even better! It isn’t always easy but much, much better in the end.
my thought was, that once you think about it, it seems obvious, but otherwise it’s something that can be completely missed. if brought to your attention your whole world can change if you let it.. (;
To be who you want to be and NOT be a carbon copy of someone else, or what somewhat else wants YOU to be. Or change who you want to be FOR someone else. Takes bravery and boldness in this cookie cutter age. To understand that to be truly authentic is to be who you are. Now that’s art. That’s authenticity, freedom, and true expression. Well said, camp 1899! Love it!
terri, what a great response! thank you for that.. and you said it best, being authentic is art. i love that! xo, t.
well didn’t that just speak to me. thank you:)
I enjoyed reading the paragraph on the person you want to be… the great thing is, THAT IS WHO YOU ARE!!! And that makes me proud to be your friend! I want to be a happy, joyful person and you once gave me to best advice- happiness is, at the end of the day, being proud of how you acted, reacted, etc… in every situation you encountered that day. This advice guides me so much in being a better mother and person. I am also a huge believer in kindness, it flys under the radar so much but is so important! Awesome post.
j~
what an incredibly thoughtful thing to say and share with me (; thank you x a billion for making me feel so special! if nothing else, kindness. it makes the end of the day review always go better.. xo, t.
love this post