I often think to myself, "What would I say if Oprah asked the question 'What do you know'"? (I know I watch too much Oprah and you know she asks this question... a lot)!
This is the answer I've come up with. I know that by being my "true" self good things will happen to me and for me.
Almost a year ago I set this goal for myself: To be the best me I can be. I know this sounds simple, but what it means for me is that at the end of every day I want to look back on the past 24 hours and know that I have made decisions that I can feel good about. I want to be kind, a good role model, a good friend, a supportive co-worker and the absolute best mother I can be. I want to make decisions based on what's right and not just what is right for me. I don't want to be so focused on my own success that I lose sight of the big picture or that I forget what is important in life. I want to focus on doing right and not being right.
Keeping this philosophy in mind has helped me be a happier person. This past year I have made new friends, built stronger bonds with my old friends and repaired friendships that I had thought beyond repair. I have managed to make positive decisions involving the care of DJ, I've been able to allow her more independence and I can see her mirroring some of my newer/more positive behaviors. This past year I have been successful at work, earning a promotion and a pay raise, allowing me to work one job and to focus more on my family. I have also learned to take care of myself physically and emotionally.
Today I got a compliment on my professionalism and my patience and I literally had to laugh out loud. First of all, this dude obviously doesn't work in this building with me and secondly, three years ago he and I literally had screaming matches over the phone on a weekly basis. I have to say I was shocked and I was very pleased with myself. When I saw the fellow in question this morning I was thinking, "Oh, Lord. Not him". Then I heard what he had said about me and suddenly I was thinking, "Well... he's not THAT bad". A kind word is all it took for me to change my attitude, why could that kind word not have come from me?
The title of this posting is a quote by Abraham Lincoln and is one of my favorites.
I am not perfect; I make mistakes every day. I will continue to live my life the best I can and I'm going to start using more kind words.
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