Guest Blogger: Jayne Portnoy
A year ago today this photo found me. “This is how I see you” the text read. I stared at it for an extend number of seconds. Those six little words, on that day, read like a novel.
The sender and I hadn’t connected for weeks. I wasn’t having a bad day or anything unordinary. I was simply having life. As I’ve shared before, there was a good bit of that current life that was shit-tastic. It included a failed 6yr relationship, losing a job and starting my own company. The power of three was firmly working me.
I looked at the image and message a few more times. And then my face leaked. A lot.
How could someone see so clearly what I could not? Not then or many times since, have I ever have I looked in the mirror and what looked back was a fierce warrior (with great side boob I might add!).
Mothers tell you you’re beautiful. But do you ever tell yourself? When was the last time someone said anything kind, nice or rewarding to you and with firm understanding you accepted the words as truth?
How is it the others see so clearly what we choose not to? We practice saying thank you, please and even making our bed – but we seldom practice acknowledging the best in ourselves. I mean, Beyoncé nick named herself Sasha Fierce. If you don’t believe she believes that, well…ok we all know the truth. She’s the shit. And my guess, while she probably has plenty of bad days, slipping into that alter ego is the same as articulating intentions. If thoughts can become things. Than words become YOU.
In my most recent discovery, I attended a creative writing workshop – but what we were writing about was ourselves (I missed that in the flier and most likely would not have gone). The hardest exercise was defining “our personal brand” in four quadrants on blank paper. Imagine if you can, a grid with four words in each corner; Passions in the upper left, Talents in the upper right, Experiences in the lower left and Skills in the final quadrant at the lower right.
Take your time and fill up each square Tiffany (a friend and life coach) encouraged the group. Some began scribbling rapidly. I sat staring at my blank page – and then cheated. For real – I looked at the woman’s chart sitting next to me just to get some ideas and thieved right off her page “good listener and and philanthropic.”
Jotting down what I actually liked about myself was a little harder than I thought. But as soon as I stopped thinking about how I saw myself and focused on how others did – I filled the page. A few times. I’d be a liar to tell you one stab at it made me proficient in self supported badassery. But like any exercise, you only get better with practice.
So my gift here today is this image of one strong warrior with killer side boob. She is you. Now grab a pen. Grab some paper and get to know your own version of Sasha Fierce. I bet she’s rad as hell.
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