You are enough.

    A friend posted this article on my facebook wall today, about and by my favorite actress, Sophia Bush (pictured above from my favorite TV show One Tree Hill). I absolutely love her because of all of the things she stands for and does. There were so many amazing things about this article that I fell in love with. Self wealth is such a big thing. Everyone seems to think that life is about having a lot of expensive things and that it makes you a worthy person. Why is that how we define ourselves and other people? Why do we judge people based on what they drive, or text with, or carry their kids diapers in? Why do we let our fears define and mold our lives?
   I, myself, have a very nice car, a nice android HTC smart phone, decent clothes and jewelry and I wondered, do I define myself by the things that I have? Do I need these things to be happy? So I wanted to share some things that make me feel like the wealthiest person in the world and give me all the self worth that I could need.

1) My kids. Every time I see them smile, hear them laugh, or watch them accomplish something new, I could not feel more self worth. There is nothing that makes me feel more important than when I am shaping the lives of my children. I love my children more than anything and I don't really need anything to give me more self worth than that.
2) My fiancé. The way he looks at me and the little things that he says or does to show me that he loves me still make my heart skip a beat, even after 6 years together. He drives me absolutely crazy and insane and makes me want to punch him at times, but the love that we share is greater than any love I've ever experienced (with the exception of my children).
3) My family and friends. Having a support system that is always there to help me, no matter what the circumstance, is an incredible feeling. It makes me feel like I must be doing something right to keep these people in my life and have them be so amazing to me. It makes me appreciate each and every person in my life in a different way.
4) My job. My job is by no means glorious. Yet it makes me feel good about myself. Not because I feel empowered by my title or anything but because I know that I am providing for my family. I don't make a lot of money but I do make enough to provide a roof over our heads and put food on the table. I also know that in my position I am teaching my employees how to be good workers and, I hope, inspiring them to be better people. I hope that the way I treat them and the customers inspires them to treat other people well and just enjoy what they do, no matter what it is.
5) Myself. I have always been pretty good at being myself. I am who I am. I tell the truth. I'm a goofball. I'm sarastic and silly and probably a little overbearing. But I love who I am and embrace it. I'm not saying I don't have moments of self doubt but I try to live my life in a way I can be proud of. A way that is uniquely me.
6) This blog. It may sound silly but this blog is the first thing I have consistently done in a long time that is 100% for me. It is a way for me to express myself and get out some of my feelings. It feels good to have things to say and stories to tell and I hope that at least one person who reads this gets something out of it each time.
   There are a lot of areas of self wealth and self worth I need to work on. The biggest one for me is my self image. 99% of the time I am not confident in my own skin. I am constantly judging my appearance and weight and thinking I am not good enough. It has kept me from doing a lot of things that probably would have made me happy. When you are not confident in your appearance you can't really be confident in yourself. What you look like shouldn't even matter in regards to who you are and what you do. Plus, I am beautiful in my own way. I will never be in the Victoria Secret Fashion show but I should be able to look at myself and feel good. I am a mom with two gorgeous children. That should be enough to make me see how beautiful I really am. They make me beautiful in a million different ways. My personality makes me beautiful in a million different ways. Beauty is what you make it. And I am beautiful.
   Self wealth and self worth are something we all should stop and take some time to think about. Self wealth isn't about money or material things. It's about who you are and the people you surround yourself with. I'm pretty sure I've said it before and I will say it again... just do you. Don't worry about what people think or what they're doing. Do what feels right to you and be the best person you can be. What you have is enough. What you do is enough. Who you are is enough. You are enough.