Be YOU!
I have been cleaning my storage room. Because we are all wanting to feel lighter after the past year, right. I found a sewing machine that I asked my mom to get me for Christmas one year. It reminded me of all the time I wasted trying to be something I thought I should be and not necessarily who I am. It was a reminder of how much happier I am since I gave up what I thought I should be.
When your children are small and the other moms are making their own curtains and bringing suckers that look like ghosts to the Halloween party at school, it is easy to get caught up in what you “wish” you were and not focus on what you are. What I am not, is a seamstress. I might have spent a couple of hours at that sewing machine and I was miserable the entire time. I assure you the result was nothing that I would ever display in my house!
After my time with that sewing machine, I decided to do something else crafty I am sure! I was constantly worried about what I SHOULD be in order to be a good momma. One time I made gifts for my daughter’s teacher and she looked at me and said, “Huh, Pinterest even makes YOU look creative!” She was 8 and she knew I was trying to be something I was not! Why did I torture myself trying to be that kind of creative?
I have some really cool friends who paint and refurbish furniture for a hobby. No thank you. I could mess that up pretty good! I know some talented elementary school teachers. Not for me! I have one friend who is always coming up with cool crafts and she doesn’t even get them off Pinterest! They live in her. I just do what she tells me to! The thing is, these friends love me for who I am and what my talents are. Not the fact that I am not like them! I have a wealth of friends to go to when I need any of these things!
No matter what age you are or what age your children are, please stop trying to be something you are not! God created you for something amazing and you need to figure out what that is and concentrate on that! Think about the things you will teach your children when they see you happy and fulfilled doing the things you love. I used to spend all of my time worried that my house wasn’t good enough and my decorating skills were lacking. You know what, we have been just fine here for the past ten months! My grown children were even thankful to have a place like our home to come back to.
I can read books all day. I can mentor your college students on how to be professional (a definite lost art). I can talk to people working in the STEM disciplines all day and enjoy myself! I thought that last one was something anyone could do. Smart people are the most amazing people out there. As a fundraiser for a university I got to spend time with folks who ran their own engineering company, people who worked for the Centers For Disease Control, world renowned chemists and mathematicians and I loved every minute of it! The thing is, not everyone is talented in this area. It’s a pretty boring talent, but it’s mine and it has served me well! In addition to that, these people trusted me. They knew if I said I would do something or find something out, they could count on it. I am not afraid to say, “I don’t know, but I know I can find the answer for you.”
My happiest days were when I stopped trying to be something I am not and began to discover who I am and why God gave me those particular talents. Don’t discount anything! One of my favorite people in the world gives the best hugs on earth and she taught me how to pray. Prayer was something no one had really ever lined out for me. I bet if you asked her she would say that she has no talents and she is not really good at much. I am a better person because I spent time with her! I would call making people better a definite talent!
As I placed that sewing machine in the bin to get rid of, it was a reminder of how far I have come. When you stop trying to be like someone else and figure out who you are, you will always be happier. Please do it. I would love to hear what your talents are and how you are using them daily!
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