I think the key to having it all, is really just figuring out that you have to love yourself no matter what.

No matter how many times you goof up, even if you give up, if you have a bad day, if you can’t go on, if you skipped the gym and had too much chocolate.  How about if you went to the gym, if you stopped yourself from the chocolate after the second bite, if you keep up with the house work.

The little things that you do, the tiny accomplishments should be celebrated.  Be proud of yourself. Be proud of your journey.

The times that you give yourself a less than stellar report card – be proud of yourself anyway.  Appreciate the life lessons. Know that you are EXACTLY where you are supposed to be.  Right now.

Yes, this is your pep talk…

Be easy with yourself, be gentle. Stop the self-sabotaging. You deserve the life you dream of.  You are entitled to happiness.

Give yourself a hall pass, a sick day, a spa day – If you need it.  If instead you need to kick your own butt and push yourself, then do that too.  You KNOW what you NEED.  Don’t’ let others tell you what you need.  If you can’t tell, meditate on it. Figure it out for yourself. Take a week where you don’t ask for anyone’s advice – and take your own advice.

Treat yourself well.  Stop judging and criticizing. You should be your own best friend.  The person you spend the most time with in your life is, after all, you. Don’t you want a pleasant experience? How ‘bout an AWESOME experience?

Listen to your body, do what it’s telling you to do. Eat what it’s telling you to eat.  Step away from what it doesn’t want. SCREW what other people think. SCREW what you think will make them happy, if you’re not happy believe me it will just pile up and that other person you made happy will go on with their day, unscathed. But you, who’s going to defend you if not yourself? Who’s going to be left sulking in the corner over pleasing everyone else and messing up your day, your life, your year?  Do we sense a theme here? Oh yeah, it’s you.

You would defend someone else right?  Why would you not defend yourself?

As a society we people-please wayyy to much. Not that that’s always a bad thing, sometimes we are very “well behaved”.

It’s a lovely thing when parents tell their children, don’t brag, don’t show off, don’t tell her you think that dress is ugly… or is it?

In actuality they are teaching their children to hide, to be quiet, to blend in and to lie to peoples faces just to tell someone what they want to hear.

Sure this will make them happy, you wont ruffle any feathers, but you most definitely will not speak your truth.

These are silly little examples but what if it were about something more important. What if it were about eating disorders, bullying or acting as a bystanding pedestrian, too afraid to speak out against a crime that is occurring.

It’s not the 50’s anymore, its time to speak up and “be you, because everyone else is taken.”

Speak your truth in your relationships, with your health, when a polite family member pushes, oh HAVE the last brownie,… etc.

You do a lot of things in your day, your willpower, your commitment and your ability to say yes to what you want (not to what others want you to do) and to say No to what you don’t want (and not to feel pressured to say yes to please others), is the very exact DEFINING quality and power of free-will that you OWN no matter where you are in life, no matter how rich or how poor, no matter how thin or how heavy – no matter what. And that will be your key to happiness.

Hope that inspired you!
xoxo

Emily