60 Day Challenge Day 10: Songs you listen to when you’re upset.

Music is by far the best medicine when you're feeling Down. There's just something special about being able to Lose Yourself in the beats or in the sweet voice of your favorite artist.When I've had one of those Bad Days where all I want is someone to Stand By Me, I can put on my headphones and the music effortlessly says "I'll Stand by You."  Of course there are a few tunes I'm not sure I'll like as much tomorrow (will I still be making up my own dances to Jai Ho 10 years from now?) because not Everything can be a classic. Regardless, there's just something about music that can turn a bad day into one of the Best Days.

I think this was a pretty clever post what could have been an ordinary list, but I may just need someone to Humble Me. I can't help it...that's just The Way I Am.

60 Day Challenge: Day 9: Talk about something that confuses you.

Top 5 Things that Confuse Me:

5. Why is it ok for someone to come up to me and tell me "You're so skinny" but it's not ok for me to go up to someone and say "You're so fat."

4. Trashbags--why do people buy trashbags when you can reuse plastic grocery bags for free?

3. Why do people wear their shoes at home but take them off in public places? Your home is supposed to be clean. You don't know what kinds of germs are hanging around in the gym, the club, the sidewalk...Put your shoes on!

2.WHY do people purposely use poor grammar? I'm looking at you, residents of Southern states...Why in the world would you say about your baby, "Hims is so cute today!" Hims is also on the road to make a 200 on his SAT.

1. In reference to relationships, why don't we just stick to checking yes or no on a "Do you like me" note passed from a boy to a girl (or vice versa)? When did all the coy game-playing come around? And WHY? Relationships used to be much easier as kids...why complicate them as adults?

60 Day Challenge: Day 8: Short term goals for this month and why

For me, goals are always easy to set but a challenge to complete. There have been so many times when I've made a to-do list that just sits with only half of the things checked off, but here are 5 that I think I can accomplish by the end of the month:

1. Read three books
2. Buy a meal for a stranger.
3. Figure out what I want to do for the Christmas holiday
4. Buy and send 3 "just because" cards via postal mail
5. Get a haircut!

Hold me accountable!

60 Day Challenge: Day 7: A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.

You let me down.

I wish I could say you know who you are when I say you've disappointed me. But I'm sure that you don't.

What you did and what you said really made me doubt how good you are. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of people admire you. I admired you. Now I'm not so sure.

You try to keep what you've done hidden. I don't know why. Is it because you think hiding what you've done will make it go away? Is it because you don't think it was wrong? Is it because you don't want people to look see that maybe you're not as great as they think you are?

You've given me a burden that I don't care to shoulder. Where's the greatness in that?

I hope deep down I'll find a way to get over it. I hope that I'll find a way to tell you what I'm thinking now. I hope I'll find a way to tell you that you've disappointed me because I expected you to be better.

For now I'll carry this burden knowing that you don't deserve the relief I'm providing by doing so.

60 Day Challenge: Day 6: The reason you believe you’re happy.

I don't think I would have been able to post this blog post a couple of months ago, primarily because I wasn't convinced that I was happy. But I am.

Here's why:

For the longest time, I never wanted to stick up for myself when I was criticized and I never felt the need to be the center of attention, and I believed that this was because I thought I had really low self esteem and practically zero self confidence.

I told a couple of friends and this is what they told me:

My best friend, Pam, said "You're fabulous. It's ok for you to celebrate that. It's when you feel the need to invite other people to the party* that you become egotistical. You're not like that. You celebrate yourself and you're humble."

Another friend of mine said, "The reason why you don't stick up for yourself and the reason why you have no need to seek attention is because you already know you're great. You don't have to prove it to anyone. You don't have to be critical of anyone else because you feel no need to pull anyone else down."

I can't say enough how much those two comments meant to me. Learning how to accept the way that others positively perceive me has made me more perceptive to others. I've learned how to accept their love and have learned how to better give love in return. This has made me happy.

*In sharing this, I am not inviting anyone to this party of self-celebration. I'm just telling my readers about the gala.

60 Day Challenge: Day 5: Talk about a scary experience.

 

When I first got my own room, a simple clock radio sat on my dresser. I used it solely as a timepiece. In the middle of the night, I would often open one eye to see the fluorescent numbers that told me it was too early to get up.

One night, I was awakened by the sound of static...really loud static. I got up and turned it off. I returned to my bed and pulled the sheets over my head, hoping it wouldn't happen again. Ten minutes later, it came on again. I was terrified. Actually, terrified doesn't do justice to the fear that I experienced. I was so scared I ran to my sister's room down the hall in tears. I stayed there until the morning.

In hindsight, it was really stupid to be afraid of an alarm clock, but of course, it was more than just the alarm clock. I had watched some TV show about ghosts not long before that night, and there were cases where ghosts would haunt houses and move things around. In one case, a house was set on fire. I guess that I was convinced that there was some supernatural power in my room that night. But in reality, the alarm was just put on inadvertently and in the process, the volume was turned up.

While I laugh now, I still have a slight aversion to alarm clocks and refuse to use them.

60 Day Challenge: Day 4: What makes you different from everyone else?

What makes me different from everyone else?

I remember being asked this question when I was in college and I responded, "I wear kids clothes." Unfortunately, I found out that other college women wear kids clothes (because they're cheaper; they fit better, and often enough you can find stuff that doesn't look like it's fit for a five-year old. Thank you Gap Jeans!)

So I guess begin petite doesn't apply anymore.

I will say, however, that I'm a good listener. I may not be able to give good advice, but if you need a sounding board, I'm pretty good at being that.

But really, how do I honestly answer this question without sounding egotistical?