What does unique mean? By definition, there is only one, there is no other. Isn’t that incredible? I mean think about it. You were created to be…you! Even if you are a twin, they are not you!
So why is it then, that we, as women, can’t accept and appreciate our uniqueness? Why can’t we look at ourselves and say, “hey, I’m pretty awesome”? We tell others that, but we don’t believe it for ourselves. We covet, we want to look and be like others. I can’t tell you how many times people say to me, “When I get a body like yours, I’ll be done trying to get fit.” Why would you want a body like mine? Why wouldn’t you strive to be the best YOU can be instead of trying to be like someone else??
You are wonderful!
You are the perfect balance of you. We are born perfect and we allow others to make us believe we are less than perfect, therefore we are no longer wonderful to ourselves. This madness has to stop! Self-destruction is unnecessary and unacceptable!
I was raised in a little town, Greenwich, Ohio. My father came from Germany and my mother came from Pennsylvania. As with any little town, there were cliques, which made it difficult to fit in. In my mind, I was so different from other kids. We didn’t seem to have much money, so my dad fixed everything. Instead of us getting a new piece of furniture, like I saw other kids getting, my dad would refinish it and reupholster it.
We never had a new car and took a lot of handouts, including a microwave that had the three buttons on the bottom. We lived in a trailer that sat on a tiny lot. The only thing I had going for me was the neighborhood football game because the water tower was in my backyard and that yard was huge! That is where I became quarterback princess, because daddy taught me how to throw a football better than any boy.
I grew up being different or unique from other girls, or so it seemed to me.
I never felt accepted. Kids picked on me and bullied me. “Bubble butt” was my nick name, one of the meanest things I heard as a child. I wasn’t your typical girl. I loved to play football and watch it for hours. I loved to play fast and slow pitch softball and one of my favorite places was hanging out in the woods or climbing trees. I did the boy stuff.
It was hard for me to find my place in the world, where I belonged. It was hard for me to accept that I was unique. My thoughts and abilities were different, but it was ok. I just didn’t realize it.
Turning 40 was an important age for me.
I learned how to accept who I was. Notice I said “accept who I was.” I came to realize that I am not a typical female. I am not crazy about shoes, sweaters, painting my nails, (toenails of course so they look good when I kick). My idea of dressing up is blue jeans, boots and a sweater or a jean jacket. When I go shopping, I gravitate toward the training clothes every time I walk into Tj Maxx. As a matter of fact, I am just not used to dressing up. I’m just not a girlie girl.
My favorite thing to do is lift heavy things, spar (controlled karate fighting), punch, kick and practice kata. Not the normal thing women like to do. I love to teach hard-style, showing how to move from one place to another in the fastest hardest way. I am passionate about improving people in their daily life, making their life better by improving strength, mobility and flexibility.
Personally, I never liked myself…
I didn’t like how I looked. I had a bigger butt than most, I have Vitiligo (a loss of pigment in my skin), my feet stick out when I walk. I have adult acne at 46 years old. My nails don’t grow. Guess I’ll stop there. My point is, it’s all OK! I have accepted all of these things in me. I don’t necessarily like them, but I accept them. They are me, they make me up. I have recently accepted that I am uniquely and wonderfully made!! My uniqueness is mine and I own it. We all have uniqueness and we need to accept it as that, not faults, not errors, not mistakes…uniqueness. Embrace your uniqueness and love who you are.
You are uniquely and wonderfully made, love who you are.