I was just reading Carrie Colbert's blog and she is so proud of an acomplishment she has just achieved in the scrapbooking world. For those of you who know me, you probably know that my secret dream is to become a "famous scrapbooker." Anyway, she seemed apprehensive about sharing how proud of herself she was and how excited. I thought how sad. I know because I do this too...it is hard to brag about ourselves. We brag about our husbands, our children and even our material possessions, but women have a hard time bragging about their own ability.
I recently have been feeling very beat down...I need to lose weight, my career has taken a backwards step, our financial situation is stressed and even my reproductive system is a mess. I haven't felt fully supported by my family and I feel like their expectations are just that...theirs...not mine.
I was a college tennis player that competed at the national tournament, I was a 26 year-old-vice principal, I read 15,482 pages in the 5th grade and I have a lot of success in my marriage. All of these things define me...why is it that I have been allowign myself to be defined by my failures lately?
Maya Angelou spoke to me once...not just to me, but it felt like it. She said that women need to shout. Shout about one another, shout about our families, shout about our faith and most of shout who we are. Don't whisper a lie about who you think you should be...shout out the truth. She said...
SHOUT SISTER SHOUT!!!
Jess-Excellent post and great words of advice. It is sooo very very true that us women do not focus more on our successes, but instead our failures. I am so guilty of this too...I'm 33, still no husband/family, no house, a job that just pays bills, no benefits. While I'm leaving this job to move to TN for grad school...feels more like failure as I'll be unemployed for undetermined amount of time.
I'm going to try to focus on the successes too-gonna go make a list of them and then SHOUT SISTER SHOUT!!
Posted by: Krystyn | June 30, 2005 at 11:05 AM
Girl POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lindsay
Posted by: Lindsay | June 30, 2005 at 03:20 PM
Amen sister!
Posted by: Julie | June 30, 2005 at 05:47 PM
What a great post! Its so true that people who are proud of their accomplishments constantly worry about sounding conceited. Its a shame really!
You should be so proud of all your accomplishments and look forward to many more.
You rock!
Posted by: Erin | June 30, 2005 at 10:07 PM
AMEN!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Marjorie | June 30, 2005 at 11:57 PM
You are very accomplished, girl. Don't be afraid to toot your own horn - no one else is going to do it for you. We all create our own opportunities in life....
Posted by: Jennifer Lynn | July 01, 2005 at 01:01 PM
Excellent post sister!!!
I am the same way - I just focus on the negative about myself -- only the things I want to improve.
But there are so many things I'm proud of. I think I'm a great person - -- and I'm smart :)
Posted by: Katherine | July 03, 2005 at 07:46 PM
But there must be something about the whole movie-star thing you like - tedicrow
Wasn't There", a letter to her father a?? one of three songs about immediate family members - http://jimilava.posterous.com.
Gotta show respect and love for everyone that has fought for our country! I really am not just proud but LUCKY and grateful to be an American! Celebrate and be thankful for all of those who have served our country! You can observe Pluto given the right technology, don't be so handicapped in your potential - http://jimilava.posterous.com.
Posted by: AttainoBarors | February 15, 2012 at 02:53 AM