Hey! It’s okay to like yourself…a little.

Here’s a short post:

What do I like about me?

I’m breathing. The end.

That’s it. That’s the post.

I’m not very comfortable discussing what I like about myself.
(Said the woman who writes a blog about everything she does).

Nevertheless, that’s the topic that Bettye Rainwater of FashionSchlub.com has asked the “Where Bloggers Live” group to posit.

Trust me, I’m not mired in self loathing. If you read my drivel regularly, you know I’m forever secretly praising myself in myriad self-deprecating ways.

But I also can’t graciously accept a compliment…even from myself. We’ve discussed this before.

Did I finish a project? Yes. BUT let me point out ALL the flaws (before someone else notices one).

Am I having a good hair day? Sort of, but I feel compelled to note that three or more hairs are always pointing toward Heaven (and don’t we ALL need something to point us to Heaven?).

Do I have THE CUTEST dog? Yes, but he likes to hydrate (or hyDRANT on) my hand sewn draperies.

EVERYTHING comes with a caveat.

You know how some people talk about other people who are chronically unkind to, and hard on themselves? I am the people who create people like that.

Kids watch you. They model what you show them. (In fact, I’ve given one of my kids a master’s degree in Not Showing Gratitude for What God Gave You.)

I’m the world’s best example of that. (Hey, does that technically count as a compliment I can accept?)

Far from it. In fact, hearing my daughter reminds me of a phrase I first heard from fellow blogger Sally in one of her posts: “You can’t hate yourself better.”

It’s one thing to practice a little humility, it’s something entirely different to throw yourself under the bus. Why do we do this to ourselves?!

I recollect, as a kid of 8 or 10 I was ALL IN for compliments. I suspect I believed every single one. And then, while reaching up one day to adjust my fabulous princess crown, I came to the shocking realization that, in actuality, I wasn’t wearing one.

Okay, metaphorically of course.

Somewhere along the way, at least for me, I went overboard in the opposite direction… Perhaps it began when my language teacher taold us the French believe saying “thank you” to a compliment means you arrogantly agree with it.

Geez, lady…I just said that’s a nice dress, not that you look like you should be on a magazine cover..

Okay, okay…I like the dress, too. I just don’t want YOU to think I’ve gotten over my skis!

If we’re being honest here (and clearly I am), a little self love is actually a very good thing. Healthy even.

So Bettye’s posited exercise, while a challenge for someone deeply suspicious of self-congratulation, is also an opportunity to say to a particular family member, It’s okay to like things about yourself.

In that spirit…

I like that I have an endless supply of “what if” projects (even if sometimes they might be better categorized as “what if I don’t?”)

WHOOPS!

REWIND. TRY AGAIN:

I like that I have an endless supply of “what if” projects because I like being creative. Period, no apologies.

I like not being afraid to use power tools, and work in my yard; getting dirty, messy and being spectacularly UNgirly sometimes. It makes me feel strong.

I like that I can be silly in public and not care about being judged… (We remember some of the ridiculous pictures I’ve published in some of these posts, right?!)

Whoa…let’s reel it in here…someone is enjoying this a little too much.

For real.

I’ve had enough brushes with hubris to know I’m always one small step away from having that kind of confidence bite me in the as…pirations.

That great dress someone notices? It would be so ME to prance around in it proudly only to discover later that the back was tucked in my underwear. Or that I was so busy feeling great about myself, that I hadn’t noticed the two feet of toilet paper trailing on my shoe.

Been there, done that..and hedging the bet by pointing out my own flaws, thank you very much.

HOWEVER…the very real danger is that you don’t enjoy the dress because you went out of your way to step on the toilet paper yourself.

Maybe there’s a sweet spot between humility and sabotage, confidence and conceit.

And maybe it’s hidden in a very grateful and sincere “thank you.”

________

Something else I like about me? I get to blog once a month with these women!

So, please be sure to visit:

Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Bettye at Fashion Schlub
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Leslie at OnceUponaTimeandHappilyEverAfterAgain
(Me) and
Sally at Within a World of My Own