Strength

I grew up on a farm. I was 14 when I was finally able to chuck an 80 pound hay bale into the back of a pick up truck. I am petite and a lot smaller than most people, but I never let that stop me. I prided myself on being strong, fast, and tough. Maybe even more so than physically strong, I prided myself on being emotionally and mentally strong. I could work 80 hours a week, no problem. I could finish college in under 3 years. I could get hurt and not cry. This, to me, was strength.

But this was also not really living.

I never let myself feel, and I definitely never cut myself any slack. Cue perfectionist tendencies, aka anxiety and stress. Cue sleepless nights and control issues.

Cue a couple of years of soul searching, tears, and heart breaks. Cue break downs.

But the beauty of break downs is that they lead to break throughs.

Sometime over the past year, I began to unravel the belief that I had to be the best at everything, that my imperfections and weaknesses made me less than others. That, in fact, these are the parts of me that make me relatable to others. Brene Brown says that vulnerability is the first thing we hide about ourselves but the first thing we look for in other people. That is authenticity.

And only through authenticity, through living through our hearts, can we truly be ourselves and relate to others on a level that is real and genuine.

Being strong doesn't mean being invincible. It means having the courage to own up to imperfections and failures and trials and push through. It means letting other people--not all people, but the right people--see these things about ourselves that we really want to hide. It means not being afraid of all of the pieces of ourselves. It means accepting all parts that make us who we really are.

It means we believe in ourselves and love ourselves no matter what.

For me, recently, it meant sharing the before/after pictures from the 60 day challenge that I did. I didn't want to show the pictures, because  even though I surpassed my goals and am okay with people seeing where I am now, I didn't want anyone to see and judge my before pictures. I didn't want to admit how far I'd let myself go, how far away from myself I'd gone.

But then again...maybe that's exactly what I needed to show. Not the end result, but the path. Not the final destination, but the journey. Because we are all on a journey somewhere, and the part where we help others is encouraging and acknowledging each other along the way. To know that we are all in this together, that we all have the parts of ourselves we want to display proudly, just as we have those we want to bury deep inside and hide. And that's what makes us human. That's what makes us real.

And if there's one thing I've learned about myself over the past couple of years, it's that being real--truly me--is what really matters.

So. I've shared these pictures, I've let go of the fear of judgment, and I'm asking you all to vote for me, if you're so inclined. Rock the vote, rock this day, and rock the real you.


Here is the link. Thank you.