I'm That Girl...

I'm that girl..

Who buys a t-shirt and cuts it to make feel more like me

Who gets inspired by watching others do their best despite feeling their worst

Who feels like a complete badass one moment and a shrinking violet the next

Who keeps trying new things

Who keeps seeking and finding inspiration

Who keeps getting up after each stumble, even though I feel like less for a while

Who needs to know I'm making a difference

Who agonizes over her reactions in conversations with others

Who knows shes not perfect but shows up completely authentically

Who gets moved to tears by music

Who loses herself in beauty and creativity

Who leaves big tips

Who is overly polite to service workers to try and make their day a bit nicer

Who sometimes wants to be a social butterfly and sometimes wants to curl up on the couch w a cup of tea alone

Who molests other people's dogs when I'm out

Who has stern talks with the birds at her feeders about being nice and sharing and not bullying

Who apologizes to her plants when they aren't doing well

Who dances in the grocery store when the music is good

Who is amused and intrigued by things like seeing a sign that says "fence has been lubricated"

Knowing these things about yourself be useful in creating change. Being aware of your behaviors not only allows for reflection on areas you love, but also the areas you are less fond of, and maybe even want to change.

Self-Acceptance is "accepting" who you are, the good, the bad, the weird and quirky. But It also allows you to problem solve ways to change how do things, change what and how you are doing things. In short, its a way to create the change you are craving in yourself.

For instance, sometimes my shrinking violet side keeps me from interacting with others when I'm out shopping. I feel like I'd be intruding or bothering them somehow, even though I love when others interact with me. I always walk away wishing I had been more engaging, to make those moments richer.

This awareness about myself sits in my mind as I go about my days. When I am out and about and feel myself shrinking, I consciously see it now and push myself to engage even a little bit more. I will smile and make eye contact and, of course, I consciously dress myself to feel more confident, happy and outgoing; or sometimes I wear something that might draw others to comment, thus helping to draw me out.

Clothing is my number one tool for shifting my mindset, finding confidence and creating change in my life. I bought the "I'm That Girl" tee I'm wearing in the picture, at the RISE Women's Leadership Conference in Providence recently.

I actually hesitated at first, wondering, am I that girl? What does "that" actually mean? Who was that tee referring to? What qualities does "that girl" have? Thus the list I made above emerged. There are endless descriptors for being "that girl," which means that, yeah, I am that girl. No matter what I am, I am that girl…and so are you.