Part 2! Celebrating 35: Things I ALREADY Love About Myself

My favorite part about writing and sharing with the world is experiencing what arises with others in response. When I posted the original piece about the 35 things I'm learning to love about myself, a kind friend wrote me a sweet note encouraging me to memorialize my light (in addition to the darker things I struggle with). He talked about how embracing our light can be the scariest thing to do. So, with a lot of gratitude, I decided to take up his loving challenge. Below you'll find my list of things I already love about who I am. I recommend you to try out this beautiful self-loving exercise. Comparatively, it was a lot more fun to write than the other one! Closing out Leo season with a full heart. 

1. I adore my heart. She is tender. She is forgiving. She is vast. I live heart led and I’m so proud I choose to live this way.
2. I am a natural athlete.  I’ve got a solid drive to the basket, a mean spiral to the football, and can send a softball flying into the field.
3. Along these lines, I have killer reflexes and it always surprises me. Like when the freezer is opened abruptly and something comes tumbling down, I catch it like that!
4. I really like my hands – they’re the perfect size with well-proportioned, slender fingers.
5. I show love and emotion through my gentle eyes. 
6. I spend serious heart energy writing my cards, love notes, messages, and texts to people. I love using words to express nuanced thinking, care, and thoughtfulness.
7. I am a fucking great teammate. A collaborator at heart, I roll up my sleeves and am not above any kind of work.
8. I am also a fucking great leader. A servant leader who is quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) bold. I know how to listen and step aside to let others shine while protect and support as needed. I never want to be the smartest in the room.   
9. I’m a fucking great friend too. I go the distance for my beloveds.
10. I’m an attentive writer. It brings me joy knowing my creative work touches the hearts and minds of others.
11. When I give, I forget. I don’t keep score.   
12. I’m an aspiring Bodhisattva in training. The details of my path aren’t clear, but I am listening closely and responding to what life is asking of me with less doubt and fear. 
13. I am a skillful discerner. I can see through the fog. I am learning how to own my wisdom and intuition and share it in ways that are compassionate yet honest. 
14. Life is a masterclass to which I’m a committed student. I love learning from books, podcasts, wisdom talks, and more. My mind is often in contemplation and dot connecting mode.
15. I love resting and being. I like to just sit or lay in grass witnessing nature and people.  I have deconstructed the concept of laziness. I have a sense for what’s enough now.
16. At the same time, I can get some serious shit done. However, listening to my body about when to act vs when to rest has been a game changer. I feel like my capacity for action is far greater as a result.
17. I am a creative being. I create from pain and joy alike. I draw and paint and take pictures. Honestly I’m not that good but I enjoy these things anyway. 
18. I love my own smile and I appreciate my small teeth. I floss diligently.
19. I have soft baby like skin. Grateful for healthy skin genes.
20. I love my small details lens for life as much as I’ve struggled with it – it allows me to relate and connect with others more easefully. 
21. On that note, I am a relational artist. I track people and people patterns – emotionally and energetically, the nonverbal things - with a lot of care and mindfulness and quietly build community everywhere I go.
22. I put a lot of love and effort into my relationships.  I am proud of my own personal community of friends, mentors, teachers, and colleagues around me. It has depth, breadth, diversity, and longevity. Love is all around me.
23. I have no problem apologizing when I’ve made mistakes.
24. My dear friend tells me I have energy that is easy on the body. You may interpret that how you like ☺
25. Since discovering my birth chart with my dear fried Britt (check her out y’all), I LOVE my Sun Leo, Moon Gemini, and Rising Scorpio trifecta. I understand myself so much better now!
26. I love that I can enjoy a room full of humans as much as I do being alone. 
27. I don’t complain about much. I roll with the punches. I make an easy travel or backpacking buddy.
28. I have simple taste. I like keeping things minimal and neat. You’ll see this in my clothing and living space.
29. I confront my fears and take life into my own hands while also staying open to what the universe and my karmic energy has in store for me.
30. These days, I am thriving in uncertainty which used to control me.
31. I love how connected I feel to Mother Earth and her healing elements.
32. While I used to hold embarrassment, I am now a vocal advocate of sleep (read Matthew Walker’s book). I like rising early with the sun. Good sleep and early mornings are my caffeine.
33. I am a strong self-observer. I can see when my egoic mind is leading vs when I'm grounded in my core. What’s different now is I am gentle with myself and what I see. My mindfulness/meditative practice has given me deeper attention and awareness. This is the foundation for authentic living.
34. I love to laugh, be silly, and have fun… although my idea of fun may not fit the box, aka, it can appear very boring.   
35. I care much less about what others think about me. I have far less expectations of others. I am freer today than ever before.