BREATHING.

Breathing. Boldness. Brilliance. Beauty.

We tend to take for granted the gift of simply breathing each moment of our day. And yet, without this simple action we are no longer here. To gasp for a breath, once taken away, can be literally suffocating. And too, there is that feeling of euphoria when we remark, “that sunset took my breath away” or “the beauty of you took my breath away” or “your smile is breathtaking”.

We tend to take for granted our ability to be bold in our thinking, believing maybe that I am not confident enough or strong enough or deserving enough to be bold. We sell ourselves short believing we need validation and approval from others. You will always be your most trusted cheerleader, promoter, and advocate. It is not that we don’t want or may need the help of others. However, your confidence, courage and commitment are what others look to see and want to promote and advocate. When you believe in you, others believe in you. Choose to be bold in your thinking and let your actions reflect your confidence.

My father instilled in me the determination to be the best me I could be. As a young girl who grew into a woman, I looked up to him as a role model not letting circumstances dictate who I was to become. He didn’t choose the college route. And yet, his life is filled with markings of leadership, charisma, caring, hard work and accomplishment. His confidence, courage and commitment in life shined throughout his eighty-eight years until his breath way taken away. Bold. Brilliant. Beauty.

You are brilliant! Let me say that again. You are brilliant. Claim it. Believe it. You’ve worked hard to get where you are. You are continuing to learn and grow because you know you seek something other than mediocrity. You have a plan. Write it down. Tweak it as desired to accomplish YOUR goals. Know you are on a journey to becoming the best you.

Let ‘s say you’ve decided you want to make a 90-degree turn, 180-degree turn. Ok, do it. Do it thoughtfully or not. It’s your choice to live your life as it suits you while doing no harm to anyone. You are brilliant and you get to make choices and live with your choices accepting all that comes with them. Know that when things don’t go as planned, there is a lesson to be learned. Breathe. Learn it and move forward. Never forget, you are brilliant and the choices you make are yours.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You’ve heard this before. Oftentimes we look at what the eye can see and decide what is pleasing and what is not. This way of “seeing” can be very limiting. I have learned that beauty and that which is most satisfying requires a deeper look, vision that can see beyond the obvious. It is at this time that we can discern what lurks below or behind or inside. I like to think of this as the intent, the meaning, or the why. This is seeking to understand.

You can’t judge a book by its cover. You’ve heard this before as well.

We look at ourselves in the mirror and ‘judge’ what we see. You wake up, get ready for the day and might say, “Gosh, I look awful.” That thought is followed by a feeling of something less than we would prefer to feel and as the day unfolds, our actions may be less than optimal. Mistakes may ensue, anger may bubble to the top, someone may say something that “sets us off” and we think, “I’m having a crummy day”. On the other hand, we might say as we look in the mirror, “Wow, I look quite handsome today and I feel great too!”. That thought brings a smile to our face, a feeling of confidence and a little pep in our step. As we choose to hold onto that thought and feeling, we find our day unfolds with added joy, even with unexpected and possibly undesirable circumstances. We have a day that we want to repeat as even the challenges we faced were met with optimism. Truth is, we had complete control of every minute of our day. Even if we looked in the mirror and thought, “I look and feel crummy today,” we could follow it up with, “I think I’m going to take the day off or take it slow today or let others know, I’m not feeling my best today, I may need a little space”. We get to choose how we show up, share, or step away. This is the benefit of seeing, feeling and accepting the beauty of who we are, allowing ourselves to breathe.

Breathing. Deep Breathing. This is truly at the core of taking care of ourselves. Breathing is what allows us to live. Breathing is what allows us to accept and exert our boldness, our brilliance, our beauty. Give yourself permission to breathe and breathe deeply to take care of yourself so that what others see enhances your boldness, your brilliance, your beauty.

Take good care of you, family, friends, and those you may pass along the way. Wash your hands, wear a mask, wear gloves, practice social distancing, exercise, eat, and shelter in place. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Love to all,

Sherrie

(Today we are experiencing these breathtaking moments by those inflicted mildly or gravely with their breath being less than harmonious. It is not because they are euphoric, rather quite the contrary. It is likely no fault of their own. They took a breath and what was inhaled or what moved through the orifices of their body, that may or may not have been previously compromised, has caught them by surprise and deemed them afflicted by COVAD-19. Our conscious awareness to our breathing (and surroundings) has not been more acutely tuned than today. May we all take seriously the CDC guidelines for our and other’s safety and health.) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html