Cherish your solitude. Take trains by yourself to places you have never been. Sleep out alone under the stars. Learn how to drive a stick shift. Go so far away that you stop being afraid of not coming back. Say no when you don’t want to do something. Say yes if your instincts are strong, even if everyone around you disagrees. Decide whether you want to be liked or admired. Decide if fitting in is more important than finding out what you’re doing here. Believe in kissing.
Every one of us is getting older, which is a natural process. Time is constantly moving on, second by second. Nothing can stop it, but what we can do is use our time properly; that is in our hands. Whether we believe in a spiritual tradition or not, we need to use our time meaningfully. If over days, weeks, months and years, we have used our time in a meaningful way – when our last day comes, we’ll be happy, we’ll have no regrets.
Phenomenal Woman - By Maya Angelou
I’ve always loved this poem, but for some reason it didn’t SPEAK to me until this year. It tugged at my heart strings, and made me swell with pride as I read it just now.
I’ve come a long way, baby.
Here’s to all us phenomenal women out there. Let us start loving ourselves the way we deserve to be loved.
Phenomenal Woman
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Take “personal” time. A lot of companies offer this option to their employees and it is not just a “sick” day. This is for those days when you wake up and simply feel “off”. Call in a personal day take time for yourself. Go to the zoo and gorge on ice-cream. Employers recognize the need to make sure they take care of their employees both physically and mentally. Remember, everyone is entitled to a spoil themselves once in a while. Take advantage!
The important things in life. But in my version, at the top in purple would be “Family”.
(Source: fashionsociety)
Have integrity. What is integrity? There are two dimensions to who you are: the person people think you are and who you really are. When those two dimensions of yourself are the same, when your reputation is consistent with who you know you are, you have integrity. Life is too short to be spent behind a façade. Be and say that you are who you are.
