1
What about me is sexy and attractive?2
What am I passionate about?3
What are my dreams and goals? What do I want to become?4
What makes me feel confident?5
What about me is unique?6
How do I make a difference, or what do I do that is greater than myself?7
How do I help others without compromising my own needs?8
What am I happy and grateful for?9
How do I take care of myself?10
What matters to me in this short time on Earth?11
How do I show someone I care?12
How does love feel to me, specifically unconditional love?13
How do I forgive others?14
How do I overcome obstacles?15
What do I accept about myself?16
What are the things about myself that I’m proud of? What about me is sexy and attractive? What am I passionate about? What are my dreams and goals? What do I want to become? What makes me feel confident? What about me is unique? How do I make a difference, or what do I do that is greater than myself? How do I help others without compromising my own needs? What am I happy and grateful for? How do I take care of myself? What matters to me in this short time on Earth? How do I show someone I care? How does love feel to me, specifically unconditional love? How do I forgive others? How do I overcome obstacles? What do I accept about myself?everything!
What are the things about myself that I’m proud of?1) I am independent and self-sufficient (live on my own and have made my own life for myself here in Seattle)
2) I have an easy time attracting and surrounding myself by positive people in my life (I have always had an easy time making friends and just meeting really good people who share similar values and beliefs on life as myself)
3) I am caring and empathetic to other’s needs
4) I am open minded and am always willing to try something new (I am open minded to people in general ie. culture, backgrounds, life experiences; and am always open to trying something new and going a bit out of my comfort zone ie. camping, kayaking, etc.)
5) I took the risk of switching careers and leaving corporate america for teaching and now I’m pursuing my PhD
6) My overall positivity on life (I think in general I have a pretty good positive outlook on life. No matter what ups and downs I go through, I always try to find the lesson or positive thing from that experience.)
7) The self-work that I am doing and have been working on for the past 3 years
8) My work as a teacher
1) My red hair and eyes
2) Gracefulness – I have always been told that I carry myself in a very graceful way
3) My smile
4) My overall energy – I’m usually really happy and I think that comes across when I meet people
5) My figure
6) My voice/accent (or I have been told)
1) My career and doing something where I feel that I am going to make a difference
2) My family and friends and maintaining those relationships
3) Traveling – love it
4) Just enjoying life and embracing it. I’m really passionate about staying in the moment and just trying to savor each thing/opportunity that comes my way
5) Self-work
6) Working out
1) I want to be a teacher/educator and help new teachers learn how teach in a way that meets the needs of all their students
2) I want to write a book one day (academic and children’s)
3) I want to own a home with a view of the water
4) I want a family. I want to meet my life partner and have 3-4 healthy kids
5) I want to continue traveling the world and exploring new places
1) My friends
2) When I’m teaching in any capacity
3) When I am working out
4) When I dress up and get dolled up
1) My hair – I get comments about it all the time
2) My background – being Russian (don’t come across many people here with that background)
3) My free spirit and outlook on life – I’ve always been told that I tend to live in my own world, but I actually take that as a compliment
4) My ability to be a connector or the person that always brings people together (I have always been that with different groups of friends in my life)
5) I’m really in-tuned with other people’s emotions and feelings
I think just pursuing the career that I am in – teaching – is my way of really trying to make a difference. I have been trying to also do small things such as:
1) If I see someone is struggling – carrying something, or needs help getting on the bus, I will help
2) My cousin (distant cousin) wants to move to Seattle – so I am going out of my way to help him with this transition
I guess overall, I really try to put myself in other people’s shoes and I think “if I was in their position, what would I want someone to help me with?”
How do I help others without compromising my own needs?This is a hard one for me. I feel that one of my challenges has always been helping others, but always comprising my needs in the process. So I am really trying to work on this and get better. I am a really good friend. If a friend of mine is upset or sad for whatever reason, I will always reach out and follow up (via call, text, email, send a card, plan a fun night out). I am trying to work on putting my needs first and in some ways learn how to be more selfish.
What am I happy and grateful for?I am so happy and grateful for my friends and family. I feel really lucky that I have so many people that I can rely on and depend on and I know truly care about me and are always looking out for my best interests.
I am grateful for moving to Seattle. I love this city so much and I am so thankful that I took the leap in making this move.
I am so happy that I switched careers into teaching and now pursuing my PhD.
I am so happy that I am on this journey of self-work.
How do I take care of myself?1) Work out
2) Monthly facials and hair cuts
3) Get 7-8 hrs of sleep a night (something I started a few months ago)
4) Meditation
5) Try to find some alone time for myself especially when I’m feeling overwhelmed
To have a family and find my parter in life. To be healthy. To have a good relationship with my family. To maintain my friendships. To live in a beautiful place. To travel.
How do I show someone I care?I reach out if I feel someone is struggling or upset. I make sure to check in as much as I feel like I need to. I compliment people. I try to be thoughtful in my gifts/presents. I make efforts to travel and visit friends that may not be close by anymore.
How does love feel to me, specifically unconditional love?Words that come to mind are:
powerful
blissful
safe
protective
warm
secure
mutual
happy
joyful
unjudgmental
I try to understand things from other’s perspective and be compassionate to what someone may be going through. This wasn’t always easy for me to do..but I’m finding as I get older that everyone has their struggles and insecurities and a lot of what people do stems from those struggles and insecurities. So trying to be more empathetic to what someone is going through makes it easier for me to forgive someone for their actions.
How do I overcome obstacles?I talk them through with friends. I’ve been journaling and meditating and that has helped a lot. I try to accept that it’s okay to have obstacles and go through those ups and downs and that that all is part of the process and journey – so just having that type of attitude has helped me a lot.
At times though – I tend to also go out and drink and dance and do what I can to make myself feel better (or maybe avoid the obstacle as well)
What do I accept about myself?1) That I am 39 and still single
2) That my life has taken a much different path then my friends and one that I did not anticipate
3) That I may struggle with having kids
4) That I am sensitive at times to other people’s opinions
5) That getting a PhD program is not easy and its okay to doubt myself at times and the insecurities that I have about feeling whether I belong or not
6) That my family is who they are and some of my own “stuff” stems from that – but I can’t blame them for that anymore and have to take responsibility for my own actions
7) That I am an endless romantic and idealist
8) That there is a lot more stuff that I need to continue working on (insecurities, learning how to express myself, not giving others so much power)
9) That I can be indecisive sometimes
10) That the decisions and choices I made in the past have led me to this point in my life and that’s okay
I am very strong ambitious women
What about me is sexy and attractive?My smile
What am I passionate about?I am passionate about my excercise and my job
What are my dreams and goals? What do I want to become?Successful at my job and comfortable enough to start traveling
What makes me feel confident?When I finish a long run or do a great color
What about me is unique?I have old fashion values
How do I make a difference, or what do I do that is greater than myself?I am a people pleaser so to make people feel good about themselves makes me so happy
How do I help others without compromising my own needs?I always try to build others up
What am I happy and grateful for?I am very grateful for my family and my business
How do I take care of myself?I excercise regularly
What matters to me in this short time on Earth?My family
How do I show someone I care?I can be very affectionate
How does love feel to me, specifically unconditional love?A warm comfy feeling that lifts you up and holds you close
How do I forgive others?Not very well
How do I overcome obstacles?I really put my mind to things
What do I accept about myself?I can be short tempered smart mouth and a handful
What are the things about myself that I’m proud of?professional accomplishments (primary jobs, volunteer jobs and condo association); my interior design / decorating of my condo; living on my own – I’ve live comfortably, have paid for a lot of medical & related, have $ in savings and retirement; I’ve been through a lot and am still doing just fine regardless; my time management skills – I make the time to get everything done – 3 jobs, family, friends, appointments, taking care of the cats/house/me, etc.; I make things happen – it all gets done regardless of the constraints; my intuition about people – particularly handy during recruiting 100 positions at Providence on the phone screens
What about me is sexy and attractive?I still look pretty good for 54; my smile
What am I passionate about?my cats, my condo, snow leopards, nature/animals
What are my dreams and goals? What do I want to become?To step away from my life being all about responsibility and more about fun, joy, contentment, love.
I want to become a great companion / partner.
a sense of accomplishment
knowing the answers to questions / issues – being a “go to” resource
creativity / resourcefulness
doing things I questioned if I could really do them
my intuition, generosity, ability to get so much done, my forgiving nature – acceptance of reality / people / circumstances, my curiosity about people
How do I make a difference, or what do I do that is greater than myself?-volunteering at Purrfect Pals – money, time, accounting knowledge transfer, consulting/research, doing all the audit & 990 schedules and timing the audit advantageously for both the auditors and us.
-all the work I’ve done for the condo association – pretty much running a 40 unit complex with minimal help
-spoil my kitties; kittysitting a LOT for friends in Woodinville for years despite the inconveniences
-spent 2 of every 3 weekends in Bellingham x 1.5 years caregiving when my Mom had cancer
-looking out for my staff / the company – for the greatest good
being supportive, but within my boundaries
being generous, but within my boundaries
listening
following my intuition / providing advice
research or projects or new things to do, so long as I want to
my health, my cats, my condo, my finances, my job, my professional support (trainer, physical therapist, surgeons/doctors, nutritionist, counselor), my great job / good people, getting to do a lot of things over the years, my family and friends, my freedom of choice to do things or not / go places or not, $ in reserves
How do I take care of myself?cutting down / limiting my volunteering time; limiting social outings to what I truly want to do and who I want to be with; journaling, walks, reading, hot baths, get aways, turning to my team of professionals when needed (especially my nutritionist)
What matters to me in this short time on Earth?my cats; doing the right thing; enjoying my time; family / friend connections; giving back; living my life and not just watching it pass by – having that sense of accomplishment / that what I do matters
How do I show someone I care?listening; being supportive; providing good advice (or none at all); being generous and giving of my time, money and energy; doing what I say I will; back rubs / physical touch, hugs
How does love feel to me, specifically unconditional love?-mutual
-supportive; respectful; caring; secure; joy in things big and small; content / peaceful
-it isn’t so much what you do, as who you do it with – regardless of what the “it” is
-eager anticipation
I go through the immediate emotions then find a different perspective. Intuitively I know what’s a “me” issue vs. not and evaluate the past, present and future and how important the transgression really is in the scheme of things.
I remind myself to accept reality as it is, not as I want it to be
breathe deep and go for it
creativity and resourcefulness
listen to my intuition
one task at a time
imperfection; my hair/clothes/makeup all change; I don’t have all the answers and don’t need to; I’ve done the best I can given the circumstances and resources dealt; that I’m unique and, simultaneously, just like everyone else (it all matters and none of it matters); I do experience fear of the unknown sometimes, and that’s okay; my past and the lessons learned from the experiences and opportunities I’ve had.
What are the things about myself that I’m proud of?creativity, intelligence, empathy
What about me is sexy and attractive?enthusiasm, sense of adventure, smile, sense of humor
What am I passionate about?the arts,travel, language, history
What are my dreams and goals? What do I want to become?loved
What makes me feel confident?feeling loved, creative fluency
What about me is unique?my collective experiences, determination
How do I make a difference, or what do I do that is greater than myself?small things only, teaching
How do I help others without compromising my own needs?I give when I can. Sometimes it is not charging for my work when someone can’t pay, sometimes sharing expertise, and sometimes gifting surplus equipment or other assets.
What am I happy and grateful for?two great sons, working in a field I love
How do I take care of myself?working in a field I love
What matters to me in this short time on Earth?working in a field I love, being loved
How do I show someone I care?loving them
How does love feel to me, specifically unconditional love?trust
How do I forgive others?by accepting mistakes as unintentional, and trusting good intentions
How do I overcome obstacles?persistence, determination, discussion
What do I accept about myself?everything that is good
What are the things about myself that I’m proud of?I’m intelligent and accomplished. I can care for myself and have all of my physical needs met completely. I am a good mom and can support my daughter’s needs appropriately. I am good at making long-lasting friendships.
What about me is sexy and attractive?I have a woman’s body – curvy in all the right places. I have beautiful eyes and can carry myself well. I dress nice and am generally attractive and well tended.
What am I passionate about?I’m passionate about learning new things and about adventure – discovering new things and places. I’m also passionate about my daughter – making sure she has the things she needs to be happy and thrive. I’m passionate about nerdy stuff, like gadgets and sci-fi because it excites my imagination.
What are my dreams and goals? What do I want to become?I want to save enough money to be able to retire outside of the country – to live in a new and exciting environment. I want to become a more empathetic and nice person.
What makes me feel confident?I’m confident on my organizational skills. I feel best when I’m creating spreadsheets or playing word games.
What about me is unique?I’m not overly emotional but I have a good heart. I’m dependable and stable and loving. Plus I’m geeky and smart but still socially astute. I bring a lot to the table.
How do I make a difference, or what do I do that is greater than myself?I recycle and eat organic foods. I donate to charities and participate in the PTSA as the emergency prep co-chair. I also volunteer for local disaster prep.
How do I help others without compromising my own needs?I do the best I can and cancel things when I need to. I say no to stuff if I’m overwhelmed.
What am I happy and grateful for?I’m happy to be really healthy, relatively young, have a beautiful daughter and family and friends that are supportive and loving.
How do I take care of myself?Lots of ways – exercise, sauna, nice clothing and makeup, nice hair, comfortable place to live.
What matters to me in this short time on Earth?Amazing experiences with people.
How do I show someone I care?I ask them if I can help, I respond to their needs, I give them hugs and tell them I love them
How does love feel to me, specifically unconditional love?It feels safe.
How do I forgive others?Realize they are humans and have their own set of issues/struggles and their own lens to look at the world. Everyone is different and deserve to make decisions for themselves. Sometimes that hurts others.
How do I overcome obstacles?I educate myself or ask another person their opinion and how they overcame that obstacle.
What do I accept about myself?I accept that I’m a flawed human who doesn’t have all the answers.
I accept that I need to deal with some childhood trauma in order to pave the way for future relationships
I am proud of my education and establishing my own business. I am proud of the home that I have created. I am proud of having to make some tough decisions and moving through them. I am proud of my two boys. I am proud of my resilience.
What about me is sexy and attractive?I have always thought my legs are good looking.
What am I passionate about?I am passionate about getting outdoors and travelling.
What are my dreams and goals? What do I want to become?I hope to retire and have the time and space to travel and explore. I want to continue to volunteer to help the community.
What makes me feel confident?I gain confidence when there is positive reinforcement from people I respect.
What about me is unique?I am bright and dedicated. I am trustworthy.
How do I make a difference, or what do I do that is greater than myself?I volunteer with both Rotary and Bainbridge Youth Services. I am sure that if I was not working full time and with family commitments, that I would commit even more fully.
How do I help others without compromising my own needs?See previous quesiton
What am I happy and grateful for?I am grateful for my two boys and that Conner is doing ok, despite his ADHD. I am thankful for my home and the community that I live in. I am grateful that when I go to the grocery store, I know people. I am grateful for my friends. I am thankful that I have a business that is successful and that I no longer need to work for someone else.
How do I take care of myself?I take yoga and do not drink. I have the boys do more work around the house. I go to bed at a good time and read.
What matters to me in this short time on Earth?The thing that matters to me most is raising my boys to be kind, generous, responsible and happy adults. I also don’t want to be alone in this life.
How do I show someone I care?I am in touch (communication) with them. I affectionately touch them. I anticipate their needs or desires and try to accommodate them.
How does love feel to me, specifically unconditional love?It feels warm, calm and sweet.
How do I forgive others?I try and talk through the situation so I get a better understanding. Then, I guess I just accept what has happened.
How do I overcome obstacles?I persevere. I analyze and develop a plan and then I take it 1 step at a time.
What do I accept about myself?I accept that:
– I have had some crummy relationships
– I still need to learn how to be in a good relationship
– I am not the perfect mother
– I have made some really bad mistakes in life
The thing I’m most proud of is the mother I am to my boys. They treat me with love and respect and we have good communication. They genuinely enjoy being around me.
What about me is sexy and attractive? What am I passionate about?I am passionate about my kids, my animals and fairness. I follow rules and get irritated when others don’t.
What are my dreams and goals? What do I want to become?I struggle thinking about this one. I know I don’t want what I have right now.
What makes me feel confident?Praise. When people comment on good things I have done it increases my confidence.
What about me is unique?My sense of humor. I have used humor to survive and have learned over the years to be less sarcastic even though it could be quite funny.
How do I make a difference, or what do I do that is greater than myself? How do I help others without compromising my own needs?That’s a good question. Right now I don’t even know what my needs are, other than basics.
What am I happy and grateful for?I am grateful for my kids, my friends, my pets, my brother. I am also grateful for the unconditional love I received from my father in the last years of his life.
How do I take care of myself?Not very well.
What matters to me in this short time on Earth?Relationships
How do I show someone I care?I tell them and spend time with them.
How does love feel to me, specifically unconditional love?It feels non threatening, easy, respectful. I don’t have to try so hard or give up anything. What I can give is enough. It doesn’t keep taking but is also giving.
How do I forgive others?I think I work through a process of forgiveness. Although recently I learned that what I think of as forgiveness may be more stuffing of my feelings.
How do I overcome obstacles?By accepting that they are there and finding a way to work around them.
What do I accept about myself? What are the things about myself that I’m proud of?I am proud of:
My career accomplishments
My fashion style
Being in shape
Being adventurous
Playing the piano
Speaking Spanish
Being Loyal and Trustworthy
This question made me cry as soon as I read it. I don’t think anything about me is sexy or beautiful .Ok so this is what I like bout my appearance —
I like the fact that I am not overweight and I am pretty proportionate. I like my cheekbones and I think I have an attractive back and shoulders. My legs are pretty good. But mostly think I am pleasant and smiley looking.
What am I passionate about?I am passionate about making a difference in peoples lives through movement or through education or thru music. I love to connect to other cultures through language and travel I love to share good food with fun people. I love music both playing it and listening to it. I love to dance. I love nature. I love art and beauty. I love trying new things. I am passionate about family and that no one is better than anyone else. Everyone deserves a second chance. I am passionate about being human. I am passionate about having a soul that lives beyond this life time.
What are my dreams and goals? What do I want to become?I want to be a wise graceful woman. I want to achieve something in this last part of my life that I can be proud of. I want my son to be proud of how I have overcome the obstacles I have been given. I want to have parties and maybe an art collection. I would like to develop a foundation or a trust that can support artistic dance and healthy life through movement and make it accessible to all people. I want to be part of a community.
What makes me feel confident?I feel most confident when I am dressed up to go out. Or when I am giving a presentation that I have really prepared for. Or when I make a meal and take the time to get every element just right.
What about me is unique?I don’t think there is anything particularly unique about me as everyone is unique. I think I pay a lot of attention to my appearance. I pay a lot of attention to what other people say and what they like. I remember things such as peoples birthdays or their allergies. I am conscientious. I try to do what I say I will do. I am accepting maybe too much so of other peoples flaws. I tend to forgive easily. I like to tease and make jokes — sometimes people don’t like this. I am super determined. I think I have survived a lot of bad things. I wonder sometimes why I have been given these challenges to overcome. I can laugh at myself. I often surprise myself.
How do I make a difference, or what do I do that is greater than myself?When I worked at Boeing I made a different by trying to create work environments where the people that worked for me could state their opinions and make changes to how things were done freely. Sometimes that worked and sometimes it didn’t. In the family I was super devoted to trying to make it work. My son has aspergers and has had challenges and I devoted my time to getting him through high school and caring for him while his dad was traveling or working.
Currently I am working with the Washington womens foundation reviewing grant proposals for arts and culture. I am working with a group to establish a non profit dedicated to making movement and art accessible to everyone. I am working with a group to build school in Afghanistan and I am working with a local preschool to raise money.
How do I help others without compromising my own needs?Good question. I guess by aligning my needs with the help I am providing. Such as working for causes I believe in. Not saying yes to everything. Recognizing when I am trying to buy my way in,.
What am I happy and grateful for?I am grateful for my health, my friends, for nice days and flowers, for the fact that I am still here. I am grateful that the people that do listen to me talk about my problems haven’t stopped listening. I am grateful for my faith and for a roof over my head and money to buy food. I am glad my mother is still alive. I am glad my son is thriving.
How do I take care of myself?By sleeping, eating right, exercising
By finding friends
By finding time to meditate and time to socialize
By paying attention to my intuition
I thought what mattered to me was finding love. Now I think what matters to me is living with integrity and finding a way to make a difference.
How do I show someone I care?By noticing what they like, by listening when they speak, by commenting on what they are doing well, by supporting their dreams, by contributing my ideas, by giving them my time.
How does love feel to me, specifically unconditional love?People love me no matter what. So far only my parents have shown me that kind of love.
How do I forgive others?By asking for an apology. Or by accepting what they did and letting it go.
How do I overcome obstacles?Through sheer determination and step by step.
What do I accept about myself?I accept that I have been deeply wounded. I accept that I let that happen to some degree by not fighting for what I needed. I accept that I let myself down. I realize that it is not easy for me to stand up for myself when it means I might lose something.
What are the things about myself that I’m proud of?I’m independent, I’ve accomplished a lot in my professional life, I’ve written a novel and am working on another, I’ve maintained a healthy lifestyle and I have good friends
What about me is sexy and attractive?I look pretty darn good for my age.
What am I passionate about?My super power is that I can see beauty where others often don’t notice. I love the power of words.
What are my dreams and goals? What do I want to become?I want to continue to evolve as I grow older, not give up and give in. Whatever that will look like…
What makes me feel confident?accomplishing a goal, feeling empowered
What about me is unique?Well, everything
How do I make a difference, or what do I do that is greater than myself?I volunteer, I contribute, I empathize
How do I help others without compromising my own needs?support, friendship, assistance when needed
What am I happy and grateful for?so many things…my family, my dog, my house, my body, my friends…so many things…
How do I take care of myself?I eat well, exercise and try to remain open to new experiences and ideas
What matters to me in this short time on Earth?that I continue to grow and evolve
How do I show someone I care?physical affection, support, words
How does love feel to me, specifically unconditional love?I’m not sure I believe in unconditional love
How do I forgive others?I have to work at this…but I remind myself that grudges and resentments hurt me, not the object of my negative feelings
How do I overcome obstacles?work work work
What do I accept about myself?I’m as young as I’m ever going to be, I’m never going to be brilliant or gorgeous but I’m really okay
What are the things about myself that I’m proud of?I’m proud of my professional self and my animal-rescue self. I”m also proud of myself as a friend. I’ve worked hard on all three of these…and that work has paid off in all three areas. I’m amazing professionally. Work doesn’t feel like work because I love what I do and I love how I feel when I’m doing it. My animal-rescue work makes me happy. I do much more than most people and I’m making a difference locally, one animal at a time and one family at a time. I am to people who I wish I had met when I first discovered bunnies…the source of support and information and fun and joy. As a friend, I’ve done a lot of work to stop habits that were getting in the way of my friendships. That work wasn’t easy but I did it and that makes me proud. My friendships give me joy and I think my friends love me. I’m proud of my own artistic creativity and craftiness. I’m proud that I’m someone who isn’t afraid of rolling up my sleeves and getting dirty. I’m proud of my quick and creative mind. I’m proud of my ability to teach and motivate young people and other people in my field with my presentation style and content.
What about me is sexy and attractive?My curvy, hourglass body is sexy and attractive. Especially when I make the little effort it actually takes to show it off to its full advantage. My face is attractive, and my hair. I think my sense of humor is attractive.
What am I passionate about?I’m passionate about my work, and exploring the intersection between technology, business, and people. I’m passionate about finding the core of the problems that organizations are struggling with and helping to fix them. I’m super-passionate about animals, particularly pet bunny rabbits. I love helping people learn so that they can experience the surprise and joy of sharing their homes with these overlooked wonderful creatures. I’m passionate about my own creative projects.
What are my dreams and goals? What do I want to become?I want to become someone who is financially set for the rest of my life. I love the home I already have, and my goal is to keep it ‘healthy’ and as happy-making to me as it is, but even more organized and functional around my passions. I want to become known more broadly for the creative professional work I’ve done, am doing now, and will do in the future. I want to be a very sought-after speaker in my field, and top of mind as someone who is great to have at any conference and event, and worth paying top dollar for. I want to have a vibrant online presence that people come to often. And I’d like to be someone who has a LOT more sex to be honest, and has the experience of love from another person. I also want to become someone who makes a difference for bunnies beyond the local scale.
What makes me feel confident?Being around Jen makes me feel confident. My work…all aspects of it. My animal rescue work. Teaching. Presenting. Dressing nicely and putting on a bit of makeup. Freshly dyed hair with a great haircut (I need to find a new hair person…). Showing off my art. Doing things for other people.
What about me is unique?A lot. I really do think that I’m pretty unusual. My artistic ability combined with my professional ability. My creativity in that it extends to many aspects of my life…it’s really wound through my whole self and everything I do. My willingness to take on the work that’s required to deal with my own difficulties. My mind and speed of thinking. My way with animals and the way the react around me.
How do I make a difference, or what do I do that is greater than myself?My professional work is greater than myself. I’m making a difference in my field. My work with animals, of course. I want to make that impact even greater.
How do I help others without compromising my own needs?I draw boundaries when I need to. I’m generous on my own terms and to the extent that feels good to me (and that’s pretty generous). I ask for help in return when I need it, like now with my shoulder. I give to people who give to me, and not to everyone indiscriminately.
What am I happy and grateful for?Wow. I’m so happy and grateful for so many things: my home, my health, my animals…all of them, over the history of my life, and the ones to come. I’m grateful to be able to help animals who need help–to get them out of pain and healthy again. That makes me so happy. I’m grateful for the money I’ve made on my own, and the reputation I’ve built. I’m grateful for the friends I have now, who are the best set of friends I’ve had in my life. I’m grateful for the balance I have in my friendships. I’m grateful for the boundaries and healthy distance I’ve established with my family. I’m glad I don’t NEED anything from anyone to survive and thrive.
How do I take care of myself?Mostly by giving myself permission to do the things I want to do. I get a lot of rest. I watch TV because I like to watch TV. I let my brain rest when I need it. I’ve been doing pilates but have taken a break to let my shoulder injury heal. I invest time and energy in my home because it’s such a soothing and revitalizing part of my life. I spend time with friends. I focus on positivity and celebration as much as possible in my professional and animal-rescue work.
What matters to me in this short time on Earth?Finding peace. Making a difference for bunnies…I’d love to see a change for them the way there has been a change for cats and dogs since I was a child.
How do I show someone I care?I support them in whatever way they need. I do my best to be a good friend to them.
How does love feel to me, specifically unconditional love?That’s a very hard one to answer. The only answer I truthfully have is the love I feel from my animals and the love I have for them. They’re always happy to see me and me them. They trust me always even when I have to do things they don’t like (like give medicine.) We are comfortable in each other’s presence. I’m always relaxed and unselfconscious when I’m with them. I know that I’m giving them what they need. It makes me happy to see them happy, even if that means they are less interested in being with me (when bunnies bond to each other, sometimes they need less from their humans–but that’s ok, because it’s amazing to see them happy just being with each other.) I think it would mean, with a person, knowing they are always on your side and you on theirs. That they will always be happy to see you and you them.
How do I forgive others?I have learned to think before just reacting to things. I wait and get help thinking things through with my therapist. I stop to figure out if the thing that needs forgiveness was really meant negatively or if I may be reacting to something that has no ill intent. There are some things that I can’t forgive, like harm to an animal through neglect or meanness.
How do I overcome obstacles?I get help. Usually this means breaking down the obstacle into manageable pieces (which is interesting actually…I haven’t done this with relationships). I back up and look at the step that happened right before the obstacle and try to rework whatever that step was…usually that helps a lot.
What do I accept about myself?That I have a significant and treatment-resistant depression and that that’s not something I chose, or that I can simply ‘choose’ not to have. That I’ll probably never be a significantly different shape (eg thinner) than I am today. That I need a lot of rest and alone time. That I’m less open to love than many people (at least I think I am) and trying out relationships is going to be a challenge.
What are the things about myself that I’m proud of?I’m kind, genuine, empathetic, truly value people, caring, hard working, sincere.
What about me is sexy and attractive? What am I passionate about?Helping others, being a good person, family, friends. Love hearing stories about people overcoming odds and doing amazing things.
What are my dreams and goals? What do I want to become?Want to help people in need. What to be a positive change in people’s lives. I want to become the best version of myself. Someone who is not afraid to take risks and enjoys the small moments. I want to be someone that other can count on. Make someone’s life better.
What makes me feel confident?When I help others. When I succeed.
What about me is unique? How do I make a difference, or what do I do that is greater than myself?Try to be kind to everyone.
How do I help others without compromising my own needs?Realize I have to take care of myself to help others which sometimes means saying no.
What am I happy and grateful for?My family and extended family. Friends, co-workers. Being healthy
How do I take care of myself?Need to start eating healthy, exercising, going to be at a decent hour, taking time each day to meditate or reflect. Need to put balance back in to my life.
What matters to me in this short time on Earth?Making a difference. Want to have a wife that I am truly in love with and a family. Want to be a good person that helps others. Want to have a positive impact on people’s lives. Want to enjoy the small stuff and not get caught up in the rat race. I want to live in the moment. Be the best version of myself.
How do I show someone I care?Tell them
How does love feel to me, specifically unconditional love?When you can feel it by just looking at someone. When someone is willing to look past the small stuff.
How do I forgive others?Depends.
How do I overcome obstacles?Try to work harder. If it is something I can change I usually work hard to make things right
What do I accept about myself?That I am imperfect. I have many flaws but I try to be a good person.
What are the things about myself that I’m proud of?I’m proud of all the personal growth work I have done. I am proud that I am a good person, a good friend, and good at being in relationships.
What about me is sexy and attractive?I think my body is sexy, I think my confidence is sexy.
What am I passionate about?I’m passionate about health and movement. I’m passionate and personal growth and my dogs, I’m recently passionate about salsa dancing.
What are my dreams and goals? What do I want to become? What makes me feel confident?Being at a weight that I feel the best in my skin.
Feeling grounded in my self.
Being in situations that are familiar and comfortable.
Having a great hair day.
I had a weird childhood which I think makes me approach things differently than many.
How do I make a difference, or what do I do that is greater than myself?I help people feel better in their bodies. My work is healing and educational for people and makes a real impact in their life.
How do I help others without compromising my own needs?I put myself and my self care first. Sometimes this is a challenge and because my job is pretty demanding I have to take more quite time or time to myself, this allows me to have the energy I need to help others.
What am I happy and grateful for?I’m happy for my health.
I’m grateful for my apartment, my dogs, my family and friends, for a job I can support myself with.
I eat well, I exercise, I do things I enjoy (spending time with friends, reading, dancing, etc), meditation, bodywork, etc.
What matters to me in this short time on Earth?Learning more about myself and continuing on a path of personal growth and spirituality that resonates with me, continuing my work of helping others and being able to balance that with caring for myself and financially supporting myself. Finding a true love. Finding a relationship that is more mature and has the capacity to assist my personal growth in ways that my other ones have not.
How do I show someone I care?I tell them I love them, kiss and snuggle with them, I do things for them (cook food for them, take care of them)
How does love feel to me, specifically unconditional love?I think about unconditional love being something where you can show that person exactly who you are, including the parts you don’t love, having them see all of you, and having them love you. Having someone being on your ‘team’ has your best interest at heart, will challenge your growth in a kind and compassionate way. Someone who will be with you through day to day life.
How do I forgive others?I think time helps forgive a lot. But I think understanding that nothing is ever personal and is always about the other person and their personal story/journey is helpful.
How do I overcome obstacles?I often overthink and worry about things at first, and then buckle down and do whatever work is needed to get where I want to be.
What do I accept about myself?I really accept everything about myself. I actually like myself a lot.