Take Yourself Seriously

Not in a boring and serious way, but in an intentional way.

One of my friend’s said something to me a few years back that I will never forget. People underestimate you.

I was deep in my postpartum depression, on month 6 of figuring out my new normal that was motherhood, beating myself up for not knowing what I wanted out of life.

Did I want to go back to work? What did I want to do for work? Am I selfish for not wanting to be with my baby all day every day? How was I so happy before and now I’m miserable? How do I get out of this?

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Despite what society tells us — what our parents or our friends or strangers on the street say we should be doing with our lives — we’re allowed to pursue unconventional life paths.

Be it our career (or lack thereof), our lifestyle or our relationships, we are the ones who control the direction and path of our lives.

That said, here’s another excerpt from Tara’s Buy Yourself the F*cking Lillies book that I needed to hear to get me out of my inner-battle funk:

“Taking yourself seriously means allowing yourself to have a dream, a vision, a hope for your life. It means putting in the work, little by little, to be who you know, deep down, who you are and want to become.”

And it got me thinking…

If I would stop focusing on what’s pissing me off in the current moment (being stuck at home) and instead focus on what I can be doing to improve my life (reconnecting with my roommate/husband, reaching out to people in my industry for help, working with this new schedule instead of against it), my days would be a lot happier.

So! Some self-introspection questions to get you motivated for life whilst we have all the time in the world to analyze our thoughts sans distractions:

1. How are you living your life on purpose?

2. How can you live your life in pursuit of your authentic self?

3. How can you live the life that you want?

For me, while we are spending the majority of our day on the couch with the faithful company of our thoughts, it’s ideating my future business. I’m obsessed with creating a fun and meaningful brand and have been researching companies and people I want to emulate + having online convos with people who are willing to help dreamers like myself. It is invigorating! And has become a crucial element to keep my energy high and anxiety low.

If you’re feeling like you “aren’t there yet” — looks wise, career wise, parenting wise, relationship wise or other — here’s a word of reassurance. I don’t think we ever “get there.” We’re constantly changing and growing and evolving, with ourselves and with the priorities we choose to make us happy, and should be focusing on the steps and progress instead of the end result.

Ruminate on that today and let me know if it sparked anything.

Be you.

XOXO,

Ashley