Work toward your passion!

Welcome to Simply Put!

I was thinking about women and strength this morning. Over the holiday weekend, I watched one of my favorite movies. It’s not exactly a blockbuster and not exactly what you want your little ones to watch. (There’s some sex and some alcohol and a little fighting). But there’s a lot I love about this movie. Blue Crush is about women surfers in Hawaii. Now, I love the ocean, but I am no athletic queen or risk taker when it comes to sharks and big waves and undertow. But this film always moves me. For one, the cinematography is gorgeous; the power of the ocean is awe inspiring. So, the backdrop is a great start.

This movie is about a young woman who is coming into her own, facing her fears and learning that she has the power and be whatever she wants. There is a subtle message here for women who tend to sacrifice their passions for others. The movie takes it a bit further and reminds us that we women sometimes sacrifice our goals for excuses. It sounds so fabulous and powerless and victim-ish when we give up our desires for a boy or someone else in our lives. But maybe, just maybe, we are accountable for our own passions and those people we are so busy sacrificing for are only our excuses, not reasons, for why we stop on our path.

Think about checking out this movie. Think about who you are and what makes you feel alive and excited about life. Think about how often you let that slip through your fingers. It’s easy to tell yourself that your goals are compromised by others. The challenge is knowing that your passions are worth working for and that it is your responsibility to be true to them. Consider watching Blue Crush, or a movie that reminds you the importance of your passions. This week, think about the decisions you make and the action you take regarding the things that matter the most to you.

Thanksgiving and forgiveness

Welcome to my blog, Simply Put!
I am excited to be writing this week’s blog during Thanksgiving week. It’s such a wonderful holiday.

We often think of Thanksgiving as a time of gratitude, but I also think of it as a time of letting go, of forgiving. One of the problems us women often have is that we don’t forgive ourselves. Now, I’m not talking about “let me make an excuse for myself so I don’t have to think about it”. I’m talking about forgiving ourselves of something that we know we have done wrong.

Here’s my thought for this week. First, consider something that you regret. Something that you did that might have hurt someone. It could be a friend or family member. Or it could be something you did to hurt yourself. This is the kind of thing that puts a knot in your stomach every time you think about it.

Now, allow yourself to think about it. This is the hard part. Making yourself sit with something that makes you feel bad about yourself is not easy. Yuck. But, it works. Try it. Identify exactly what you did and why it was not right. Just think about it for a minute or two. Look at the hurt you cause when you do that. Look at what is uncomfortable here.

Think about how you can fix it, either past (apology) or present (what l will do next time). Maybe you could apologize. Maybe you could do something kind for someone. Or make it up to yourself? Look at how you can fix it or do it differently next time.

Now, go fix it…past or present…and know that making good on your mistakes with others (or yourself) will free your conscience and you can just forgive yourself. Do that hard thing and reap the benefits! Say good bye to that nasty little knot in your stomach and go enjoy some turkey!