Today is my birthday. It happens every year and it’s so close to the new year it’s often hard to feel different about the two. It’s 2014. I’m 29.
This One is For the Ladies …
I want to take this post to talk about myself as a woman. I want to talk about my fellow women. Who we are vs. Who we believe we are. This is a personal post and I hope it makes you reflect inwardly as I am doing today.
As a woman, I see myself through the lens of “others” all too often. I don’t mean the lens that others actually see me through but rather the way I think they view me. Most often, this is inaccurate. I care too much about what others think. I’m working on it.
Age is Just A …
I’m getting precariously close to 30 years of age. As a woman, 30 is not a magic number. It’s scary. Will I turn 30 and see wrinkles and gray hairs suddenly appear? (Gray hairs that I have had for years now might I add … ) Am I old? What have I done with my life? Will I accomplish my dreams? What do I really want?
To me, 30 is just weird. I’m not there yet and when I get there I trust I will have the grace to move forward into that age and beyond. I feel the same. I look the same. My spirit is the same. So, the only thing I can think is that I’m intimidated by what others may think as I get older. And, if that’s my fear, that’s dumb. Why care?
When has someone’s opinion of me determined the road I would set out on or a choice I would make? Only when I gave that opinion power. That’s how it will continue to be and that doesn’t change based on age.
We Are Not the Labels We Self-Impose
In 2013, we saw some great pro-women campaigns centered on self-image and empowerment. Campaigns about how we see ourselves in a harsh light compared to how others view us and campaigns addressing the negative self-talk we so liberally and thoughtlessly use to brand ourselves as women. We nodded, we teared up, and we resolved to change.
This year, 2014 and my 29th year, I have determined to change. I will further dismiss fear of failure and the opinions of others. I will grant myself more grace and less perfection. More joy and less anxiety.
In this new year, we say NO to old, fat, and ugly labels and behaviors.
Instead, it is the year to grow together into the lively, thriving, and beautiful creations we are intended to be.
Happy 2014 lovelies.
~ Kate
