Should I answer the Doorbell?

Has this ever happened to you?

It's 10:00 a.m.. I've been up writing since 6:00 a.m, but I am still in my pajamas and my hair is wild one side and flat on the other, I have dark circles under my eyes from the mascara I didn't wash off last night, and there is broccoli in my teeth. (I get the munchies when I write.) The doorbell rings. What do I do?

When the doorbell rings, I notice the time and realize that it would be really nice if I had dressed and done my hair a little before 10:00. Makeup would be great, but it's a little late for that. It was still dark when I jumped out of bed and ran to my computer. I couldn't wait to get going. Where did the last four hours go?

Should I answer the doorbell? I could hide. What if it's someone important. I peek out the window. There's a car out front. I don't recognize it. What should I do. The person at the door may think I just got up. The person at the door may think that I am lazy or maybe a slob. But I'm not a slob, and I'm not lazy. I try to loosen the broccoli from my teeth with my tongue. Maybe they won't notice. Maybe they don't even know me. If I don't smile they might not see the broccoli. What do I do?

I answer it of course. I'm a little embarrassed, but hey how bad can it be? I know I don't look my best, but I can hold my head up. I can be polite and I can smile. Does that broccoli show?

She does know me. She's a friend. She is dressed up for work and she looks great. In spite of the broccoli, I smile. I don't explain my appearance, even though I know she's probably wondering. She's seen me look better. I don't feel bad.

A gift. She's brought me a gift. It's a thank-you from her girls--the ones I spoke to last week about self-worth. Now I get to practice what I preach. It's not my appearance that makes me worthwhile. It's not my hair, my clothes, my makeup. It's what's inside. It's who I am. It's my Heavenly Father's love.

Can Heavenly Father love me with broccoli in my teeth? Yes. In my pajamas with bed head and mascara circles? Yes.

I thank her for the note, and I open it without glancing in the mirror. I can laugh about that later. The note is awesome. The messages are sweet. The girls get it. For now, they know who they are. And if they remember, that will make the difference.

I look in the mirror and laugh. I pick at the broccoli in my teeth and remember who I am. I am a daughter of God, who loves me. For me, that makes all the difference.

Linda Garner

And the winner is. . .

Wow! A whole bunch of new followers and 19 comments to my baby blog. This was some party.

I loved your comments on self worth. You are awesome. I plan on quoting you every chance I get. You were born to make a difference.

Please come back to this blog every chance you get and tell all your friends. It's all about learning to love yourself and guaranteed to give you a boost. By commenting you strengthen others as well as yourself. I post here every Tuesday.

The winner of the I Know Who I Am workbook is landSsmom. The winner of The Book of Positive Messages is Alex. I will be contacting you both for mailing addresses. I hope you enjoy your gifts. Winners were selected by Random.org. I wish I had prizes for everyone.

Thanks for participating in the Easter Hop. Do me a favor. Make a list of 5 things you love about yourself. Only one can be about your appearance. Dig a little deeper. If this is challenging for you, give it some time. Post your list somewhere that you can see it often, and smile everytime you see it.

Isn't it time we started loving ourselves?

Linda Garner

p.s.

I had an awesome interview with the fabulous Linda Adams yesterday. Click here to read the interview. Click to enter her site and then click on her blog.

Hugs.

Someone's Watching

Is it Selfish to Love Yourself? I know that’s what some of you think. We’ve been conditioned to think that we should take care of everyone else first, and if there’s any time or energy left, then we can take care of ourselves.

In truth, this is backwards thinking, because if we don’t take care of ourselves, we may become depleted and have nothing left to share. Remember how on airplanes they tell you to get your oxygen mask in place first? That’s because if you pass out from lack of oxygen you won’t be able to save your child. Makes sense doesn’t it.

I worry about the example we are setting when we run ourselves ragged and don’t take time for ourselves. Remember, if you have a daughter, a niece, a granddaughter…they are all watching. What are we modeling? Are we teaching them to care for themselves or are we teaching them that they do not matter?

If you are not motivated to take good care of yourself, think about the girls that are watching you. What kind of life do you want them to have? If you want those girls to grow up confident and serene, then model that behavior. If you want them to be strong and beautiful then model that. If you want them to feel awesome and think well of themselves then mind your own language and behavior.

Children have never been good at following directions, but they have never failed to follow our examples. What do you say when you talk to yourself? Be careful, because someone you love is watching.

Linda Garner

Something Wonderful

“By being yourself you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before.” Edwin Elliot

I’m not pretty enough. I’m not smart enough. I’m not good enough. No one likes me. I’m not popular. My clothes aren’t cute enough. I hate my hair. I hate my freckles. I wish I were blonde. I wish I were taller. I wish I were slimmer. I’m ugly. I’m fat. I’m a loser.

If you’re a woman,or a young women, chances are you’ve had thoughts like these. These thoughts are demeaning and drain us of our self-worth. Somehow, we have been programmed to believe that our worth is somehow attached to the way we look. TV, movies, and magazines give us a distorted view of beauty and reality. Trying to live up to the distorted pictures we see is not fulfilling. No wonder we sometimes feel empty.

A beautiful woman is one who accepts and appreciates herself as she is. A beautiful woman loves and appreciates her body, flaws and all. A beautiful woman radiates confidence and smiles often. She believes in herself and doesn’t compare herself to the images on the screen. A beautiful woman takes care of herself. She is comfortable in her own skin and doesn’t try to live up to anyone’s expectation. She is content to be herself.

What if we could change the way we think? What if we could change the way we see ourselves. Instead of the trash talk at the beginning of this post, we could say: I am beautiful. I am clever and smart. I am good. I am amazing. I am enough. Everyone likes me. People love me. People are so nice to me. I love my clothes. I adore my hair. Freckles are fun. I like being myself. I am beautiful just the way I am. I am a winner.

Silence the negative chatter in your head. You’re in charge. Take control of your thoughts. For every negative thought that pops into your head, give yourself three compliments. You give complements to others. How about treating yourself kindly, for a change. Do something nice for yourself. Think beautiful thoughts.

You’re beautiful. Yes, you. It’s true, but it won’t mean a thing until you believe it. Go look at yourself in a mirror and tell yourself so. Look in those gorgeous eyes and say “Hi Beautiful. You look fantastic.” It’s okay to love yourself. I promise you it will make all the difference. Start today.

You don’t need to be like anyone else. It’s okay to be different. Different is awesome. There is nobody else on the planet that is exactly like you. You are amazing. Appreciate your unique gifts. Appreciate your unique beauty. Be yourself. That’s something only you can do.

It's true, you know... By being yourself you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before.

Linda Garner