Meme city, vol. 3: self-positivity!
I was tagged in this one by @letshargroovetonight and @tracy7307—thank you, loves!
Rules: Answer with 5 things you like about yourself, publicly. Then, tag 10 of your favourite people (non-negotiable, positivity is cool).
1.) I’ve had an interesting life. It hasn’t always been the life that I ‘wanted’—ask me about the four years I spent in Arizona purgatory!—but I’ve done unusual things and lived in more and more varied places/cultures than average, and it’s given me an unusual and valuable perspective.
2.) I’m always trying to broaden my perspective. Listening doesn’t come to me naturally—my usual inclinations are more along the lines of “I’m the star, isn’t everyone here to listen to me?”—but my father once told me something quite useful: “if you think back over the past few minutes and you haven’t learned anything, maybe you’re talking too much”. I’ve worked hard to learn how to make space for others in conversation and genuinely consider what they have to say, and it’s absolutely one of the most useful skills I have, both for social bonding (so many people are desperate to feel heard and seen!) and for expanding my own viewpoint.
3.) I’m in the best shape of my life right now, despite being on the cusp of middle age. I try to be careful how I talk about this, because the subject of physical fitness is so fraught in our culture; I want to acknowledge the work I’ve done (figuring out dietary and lifestyle changes as well as the hours of actual exercise) as well as the areas where I’m lucky (having the time and disposable income to devote to exercise and good food, as well as being physically healthy to begin with and living in an environment with plenty of opportunities). But I’m proud of the where I am without (I think?) being judgemental towards people whose abilities/priorities are in other areas.
4.) I’ve worked hard to be more compassionate towards others—but I can still unleash the snark when I need to. As a teen/twentysomething, I was all about passing judgement and making fun of people’s hypocrisies and generally being a critical person, and honestly a good chunk of that was because I didn’t like myself very much. I’ve since done a lot of work towards being more compassionate and open with myself, and that’s given me the ability to be more open and accepting with others—I’ve found that I’m much happier if I give others the benefit of the doubt, and work from the premise that we’re all doing the best we can from where we’re at. (It’s made me a much better teacher, too—it’s hard to teach someone from where you think they should be rather than where they are!) That said, I’m glad I have that ability to think critically about others and articulate their problems; it’s saved me worlds of difficulty in dealing with disingenuous people!
5.) I try hard to make people’s lives around me a little better every day. Whether that’s exchanging pleasantries with the homeless dude who hangs out on a particular street corner, or smiling at the guy in the wheelchair crossing the street, or listening empathetically to a friend or client who’s been having a rough time, or giving somebody a killer massage or yoga assist, or bopping along the street with “Uptown Funk” in my headphones and watching people laugh as i dance past them Miles Morales-style, I’m always looking for opportunities to help people feel a little better. In the yoga training I went to recently, we talked about a quote that resonated with me: “The definition of a perfect action is one that brings harm to no one and happiness to someone.” That’s pretty close to my life philosophy—I can’t fix the many large and difficult problems we’re facing, but I can maybe inspire people to feel a little more connected and hopeful, and that’s not nothing.
Tagging @blahblahblaharringrove, @skybound2, @twobrokenwyngs, @laveracevia, @asakiyume, @marsza, @suitofarmour, @trashcangimmick, @runs-in-the-family, and @black-hearts-and-broken-fists! If y’all feel like it, I’d love to see your lists.
