Lifting Up (Others and Myself)

Angela Maiers talked a lot last year about You Matter! And it really meant a lot to me. If you have time read her posts about You Matter! It has been on my mind a lot lately.

It is the beginning of a new year. Everyone seems to be making resolutions. They dream about bettering themselves. They want to be thinner, stronger, healthier, smarter, and the list goes on. People talk about having a word for the year or a theme for the year. I have finally decided on one.

I think my yearlong theme will be Lifting Others and Myself.

I know we talk about how important it is to support others but I think we need to admit that we also need to support ourselves. Sometimes when we lift others up, it helps us lift ourselves us too. There is nothing wrong with working on our own mental health as well as helping lift others.

I will work on making myself thinner and stronger and healthier and smarter. I will give myself pats on the back when I achieve small steps. But I will also encourage others who are trying to do the same thing.

I will stretch my wings and try new things. I will be brave and not chicken out when I want to do something but those little voices in my mind try to discourage me. By doing this, maybe it will help someone else have the courage to try something that they have been wanting to try.

I will encourage others who are doing something different than me. I will be proud of them for trying to do something that I don’t want to do or I have never tried to do. Just because I don’t want to jump out of a plane and sky dive doesn’t mean that I should say negative things to someone else who is wanting to do this.

I will be brave enough to share my thoughts and opinions even if I know no one else agrees with me. I will encourage others to share their thoughts and opinions, even if they differ from mine. Sometimes I keep quiet because I know my opinion isn’t always the same as the other people who are very vocal. Maybe there are others who are quiet like me and need someone to break the ice.

I will listen and learn from others because they may know more than I do. I will offer my knowledge to others but be careful that I don’t come across as a know-it-all. Sometimes we learn best by listening. Once I went to a meeting and it seemed like everyone was so intent on talking and having their say that no one was really listening to what the other person was saying. No wonder we all felt like the meeting was a waste of time when it was over.

Do you lift yourself up in order to lift up others? If so, please share!

cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo shared by Romina Santos