I love combining my images and favourite quotes. Here is one I made for you. Motivational words to tell yourself each morning!

In the past, the way I coped with insults was by seeking support and advice from others. Many people like to offer advice – I think the worst piece I ever got was when, after sharing with someone that I had been criticized, I was told in a harsh tone, “Suck it up and deal with it.”  I had been really low, as someone had said something really hurtful when I was vulnerable.  Usually I am good with bouncing back from an insult, but this time it took a little longer.  My delay in bouncing back wasn’t due to the insulting comment; it was because of how I dealt with it.

I love when messages come into our hearts at the moment we need them the most.  I had such a chance encounter today.

I went into a coffee shop this morning for my morning java, where I saw numerous people on their laptops.  As I was waiting in line, I overheard people talking about their favourite blogs.  There it hit me: my thoughts are online and totally public.  Anyone can access my blog and know the random thoughts that are going through my head. All of a sudden, I became a little anxious about “putting myself out there” through my blog.  I feared that people may judge me, thinking I am weak for exposing my insecurities and being vulnerable on my blog.

While I have been talking about relationships for the past week or so, I have yet to bring up a very important relationship in people’s lives.  The one with yourself.  Many put this relationship at the lowest level of priority.

Many of us want to help others; I am the same.  However, you can’t help others in the most effective manner if you aren’t helping yourself first.  If you have ever been on an airplane, you have probably heard the safety announcement, “Make sure that your own oxygen mask is on first before helping others.”  The same principle applies here. You’ve got to attend to your own needs, before you can go about helping others effectively.  My struggle has involved making other people the focus of my relationships, without first taking time to nurture a love for myself.  While I was always going out of my way to help others and to let them know how great they were, I would never do this to myself.  I was just me.  I was certainly not like the girl in the video below.

I saw the "I am not afraid ... I was born to do this" necklace that Tina Steinberg designed, and it made me think of a message that has been on my heart and mind for quite a while. I started thinking about this topic when I first wrote about it in one of my earliest posts, "Am I Really Free to Be Me? " For me, when I see this necklace, I think: " I am not afraid ... I was born to be me."

I just finished watching 'Brene Brown: The Power of Vulnerability" on Ted Talks.  She said things that really resonated with me and how I think people should live their lives. Watch it!