Passionately Driven... A Lifestyle and Wellness Blog

What do you see? Do you notice the dark clouds first or the light coming from behind the clouds?  There are times in our lives that all seems to be dark. Everything seems to be going the wrong way, and there seems to be little hope in sight. These are the moments that we have to remain strong and focus on the light at the end of tunnel. No matter how low you may be or how dark the situation may seem, you have to remember that just like the rain clouds, it will pass away.  In life, beauty presents itself in the smallest ways, and if we are not focused on living and striving for elevation, evolution and positive growth in ourselves and our lives, then we can miss it... Going through life with a negative self-esteem and self-image, I used to only be focused on my flaws. I could never see my own positive characteristics and refused to believe compliments of beauty, until I began to take my own advice of using positive self-talk, positive reframing and ...

              Seeking love or companionship, when you haven't learned to love yourself, conquered your own insecurities and embraced your flaws is a dangerous position to put yourself in.... I have this conversation with both women and men quite frequently, actually. The conversation of understanding your decision-making and the power of emotions, self-concept and self-image. If you've ever read any of my other entries, then you know that I'm all about being transparent and honest with yourself. So, let's be honest. Are you someone who feels that you can't be single? Do you feel like you HAVE to have a man or woman in your life, in order to be happy? Have you made decisions to be with someone, because of those thoughts?.... How did that work out?... The first step is to love you, who you are and the skin that you are in. I'm sure you've heard people say "How can you expect someone to love you, if you don't love yourself?"...

When will someone accept me for me?... Said the girl who couldn't accept herself... So often we put the pressure on others to give us validation or to "accept us", when all along the "problem" isn't with others but from within our own person. I know that some won't even read this entry in its entirety, because they don't think that they have an issue with self-acceptance . Well, let me ask you a few questions (not a complete assessment, buuuut):  How many times have you criticized yourself about the smallest thing, and didn't feel good about yourself until someone else came along and gave you positive feedback about the same thing you put yourself down for? How often do you find fault in the way that you look, and no matter what others say, you still see that fault? How easily do you change your behavior, in order to "fit in" with others around you, because you deem it necessary? Truth is...  You'll never be good e...