Today’s challenge asked me to write down 10 things in my life I am proud of. To be honest, I have been stuck in a thought block starting today’s post. In reality, this post has been sitting unfinished in Drafts for two days as I mull and try to organize what I want to say.
This exercise did not come easy for me. If you asked me this when I was in my early twenties, I probably would have rattled off a list in a few seconds. I believe this to be true because life was much simpler back then. As I get older, gain more knowledge, have more experiences, and get hurt deeper than I can ever imagine, this list of 10 things became a catapult into deep self reflection.
So here are the 10 things in my life I am most proud of!
1, Delving into any opportunity I’ve wanted by just going for it, feet first
In November last year, I was invited to give a keynote speech to grade 12 students at my former high school. The theme of my speech was that anyone can do anything they desire in life. They are only limited by themselves. I was introduced to the students as a business woman. When I reach the podium, I acknowledge being described as a business woman, but I want to break it down even further for the students.
- recording studio owner and artist
- pit bull advocate and rescuer
- singer
- event planner
- corporate woman in oil & gas
- interior designer
- construction project manager
- restaurateur
- fashion designer
Not once did I ever let my own fears or people’s judgment limit where I wanted to go. I encourage others who are thinking of taking on a new opportunity to just DO IT already! You won’t regret it.
2. Refusal to concede and give up, even when life has thrown the toughest curve balls
This is probably coming from the irritatingly stubborn attitude I have.
You think my boyfriend is a bad egg? Too bad, I’m sticking with him!
You think I’m wasting my money sinking it into this charity? F-off, I’m loyal and will continue contributing!
It’s probably a bad trait to have, but refusing to give up has helped me power through some really tough times in life. Instead of running away from hardship, I can proudly say I’ve faced all of them head on. I like to think that this has been integral in building my character and making me who I am today.
3. Being able to purchase my own home at age 21
My husband and I grew up in a “less than pleasant” area of Calgary. We started dating when I was 18 and immediately began dreaming of moving out of the “hood”. I place “hood” in quotation marks because I understand that our old stomping grounds are not any where near what people would call a real hood. For our city, though, it definitely fit the bill.
We scraped, scrounged and saved for the minimum required 5% down payment and purchased our first home located clear cut across the city from the hood. We’re still living in this house 11 years later and despite it being a tad bit small, I am still in love with it! I am house proud and will post some tours on this blog in the near future to share with all of you.
4. My relationship with my husband
I love the history that my husband and I share. Raul and I have been great friends since we met in the first year of high school. The moment I set eyes on him, I told my friends that I was going to marry him. There was always a connection there with us! However, throughout high school, I dated someone else and Raul would often be relegated to my sounding board for my relationship woes.
As a couple, we have had MANY ups and downs. There have been moments where it seemed unbearable and seemed like we could not continue on in the relationship. I give credit to our commitment of always being open and communicative with each other as the real glue that keeps things together when everything else has fallen apart. We love each other greatly, more than just as husband and wife, but as the best of friends as well. Despite our love for each other, we have agreed that love on its own is not enough to keep a relationship strong. We are pragmatic people so we fully understand that a strong and lasting relationship needs much more than love to thrive.
5. My ability to make tough decisions and own them
I’ve actually never paid too much attention to this before…it was just part of who I am. I must attribute a lot of my accomplishments and successes to my ability of not being afraid to make tough decisions. I love the thrill of being faced with seemingly impossible situations and love having to make decisions that could make or break something. If it goes sideways, I know I wear it, and I am perfectly ok with that. If it results in great success, then that will feel beyond amazing!
6. My creative side
Ever since I can remember, creating and imagining the wildest of ideas has been a normal part of my day. I always knew I would fall into some kind of creative field when I grew up, I just didn’t know how it would take form exactly. I have dabbled in web design, stationary design, event planning, singing, dancing, choreography, etc. My true love really does lie in the creative arts, even though I can be a shrewd business woman. There’s no reason the two can’t go hand in hand! I make sure to always feed my need for creative outlet, as I think it’s important to never lose this part of who I am. It is my joy.
7. My integrity and accountability
I don’t sleep very well. It is something I want to change. I would get even less sleep if I didn’t feel like I have integrity and accountability for the actions I take on a daily basis. I can’t even imagine who I would be or what my life would be like if I did not employ the utmost integrity in everything I do.
8. My ability to forgive
This is a recent development and I still have more room to grow here. I am a true Scorpio, and when scorned, I used to never let things go and would hate you for life! However, as I grow, I have learned that people do not exist just to get you – at least not knowingly. There is no way I am THAT important to someone to have them devote their life to making mine miserable.
People are just people. People do their best to live together in this convoluted and crowded world, so if they do something to hurt me, I always take a step back to see if I was the one who triggered such an action before pointing fingers externally. If I am comfortable with my own actions, then I try to see myself in their shoes and empathize with what they may be going through at the moment. Most times, I can relate and somewhat understand, therefore, this allows me to just let it go.
9. The amount of love and loyalty I have for my family and closest friends
Did I mention that I am a true Scorpio? Seriously, don’t mess with my family and friends. I can be loyal to a fault. It can be destructive, but I am proud of this trait regardless.
10. My dog babies
Tek and Mak are pit bull terriers. There is so much negative press surrounding this breed that I am so proud they are great dog citizens. They set a good example for the breed and I could not be prouder!
