...gotta have your own GLOW.

So...the past few days have been great. -- Not great in a way of saying "everything is perfect", but to say "everything is so not perfect -- not what I want at all -- nothing like my hearts desires suggest...

BUT I'M GREAT.

...and with this peace I can take on anything."

Talk about a good feeling! The other day I was feeling a little down and I immediately thought about something my good friend Alysha suggest I do -- speak affirmations. We all know the bible verse (Proverbs 18:21) "Life and death lies in the power of your own tongue..." so we should speak life, always! It's so easy for us to find the time to be negative, or discouraging. Let's make more of a conscious effort to be more uplifting and refreshingly positive. So I rattled off some past-tense affirmations -- I am beautiful. God loves me. God has made provisions for me. I am a Kingdom Kid, therefore I have Royal Blood. The devil lost - I won. My skin is not the same; I've grown. My face is not the same; I am resilient. I am better. I am loved. I am the best.

One of my other good friends, just yesterday, asked for me to give her a few encouraging words; speak life over her circumstance. Without a inkling of thought, (meaning this came straight from Pops), I asked her to write 10 great things about herself. So she wrote..Resilient. Genuine. Good Hearted. Artistically Gifted. Loyal. Trusting. Smart. Aware. Blessed. Progressive. I don't think she realized, but she was the first person in this "encouragement session" to encourage herself. The fact that she could sit there -- without a whole minute passing by, and hit me with 10 things she is sure her character entails is a HUGE step. It means she has enough self-worth for the task. That's important because when she's all alone with no one to offer an encouraging word, she can challenge her doubts and discouragement with self-efficacy. WOW!

The next thing I told her came straight from Pops again -- I told her, "AND...you are beautiful and beautifully made. Never forget God took His time to make you and He's preparing you with all these good things for even better things. We're in the pressure portions of our seasons. Diamonds cannot be made without pressure."

What. Who said that? Who typed that?

I felt like a marionette -- but I am not against it! It always amazes me how God can use me to encourage someone else ---
AT. THE. SAME. EXACT. TIME. TO. ENCOURAGE. ME.
cray.

So after that "encouragement session" I felt lead to write down ALL the great things about me. If I can't toot my own horn about the good qualities God has given me, how can I look to others to experience them and appreciate them properly? That has been one of my biggest problems in this self-worth thing. Waiting for validation. Waiting for someone to tell me I'm good enough for things that are even beneath my actual worth. Or even waiting for someone to have that epiphanical (yes, I just made up a word) moment telling them how much I am worth and strive to show me at every moment; for the rest of their lives, how much I mean to them. Realistically, that crap will never happen and honestly, I think people are supposed to take us for granted -- why?

1.) So we know what NOT being taken for granted feels like
2.) So we can differentiate extramural love and self love
3.) So we don't get too proud

It all starts from within. If we; the controllers of our free will, are not even secure in self, how can we be secure in God, Who we don't physically see everyday. So with all that being said -- I'm going to share my list. I'm pretty sure I'm going to leave some things out but hey, it's a start.

God's own. Patient. Accommodating. Supportive. Intelligent. Beautiful. Helpful. Cunning. Open-Minded. Real. Hilarious. Good-Listener. Caring. Thoughtful. Selfless. Knowledge-Seeker. Cultured. Resilient. Logical. Genuine. Honest. Faithful. Creative. Brilliant. Protective. Humble. Spontaneous. Wise. Considerate. Sweet. Encouraging. Motivational. Respectful. Stylish. Approachable. Kind. Positively Addictive. Loving. Charming. Empathetic. Generous. Dynamic. Potent. Glowing. Feminine. Forgiving. Infectious. Alive.

I feel good & whenever I don't -- I'll look to this list and realize how much I am blessed just being me.