When I first started blogging I came across another successful blogger that had made this beautiful list of articles that you must write if you are starting a blog. Like any person overwhelmed with learning something new I printed off that list, folded it up and placed it in my to-do folder. For ten months it sat there waiting for me to discover it and put it to good use.
As I was cleaning up my folders last week, I came across the print out of articles that every new blogger must write. As I reviewed this list I realized that since I started I haven’t written one of these articles. I challenged myself to start at the top and work my way down.
The first on that list? Twenty Things About Me. While I can’t imagine that anyone truly wants to know twenty things about me, I decided that I would stick to my challenge with one caveat. I am going to write twenty things about me, but in doing so I want you to learn more about yourself. That being said I created a worksheet of twenty things to discover about you.
Learning about who we are and what our core values are is an essential part of growing. Even if you don’t have a blog or want to share your list with anyone else that is completely fine. Keep this printout and put it in a safe place. If you ever feel lost and unsure of who you are, read it again to remind yourself.
Without further ado, here are twenty things to know about me.
1. What do I find peace in?
Letting go of things not meant for me. I think to find peace, you have to be willing to keep drama out of your life at all costs. Sometimes that means accepting that the love you have for others, may not be the same as they have for you. The more I let go of things that cause drama, the more peace I have in my life. It’s by far one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself.
2. What do I question in life?
Everything. Once I realized that what we are raised to believe isn’t always true, I began to question many things. I see people who believe things that aren’t true because it’s what they want to believe. They spread it to others as a fact so they can get them to believe the way they do as well. I used to think that honesty was the most important value a person could have, then I realized that the truth is how you see the world. Everyone sees the world differently. Instead of accepting things as truth, I now question everything. If it feels true for me, then that is what I believe.
3. What do I value most?
Loyalty. I’m like a dog, loyal as shit. If you are in my life, I will always have your back. What I say to your face is what I say behind your back. This is how I treat others and how I want to be treated. If I find out that someone acts differently to my face than they do behind my back I will probably distance myself or cut them out of my life completely.
4. What am I most afraid of?
Spiders. They just crawl around on all their legs waiting to bite you so your skin will rot off. It’s just gross.
5. The best piece of advice I ever received.
Stop giving out Chances. It was from my guy and he was getting on to me for giving out chances like they were candy to people. He asked me how many times I’ve ever given a second chance that someone actually changed. I thought about it for a while, before I gave him the answer of never. Not once had I ever given anyone a second chance that they didn’t do the same thing to me again. Then I told him that I didn’t understand that because if someone ever gave me a second chance I would do everything possible to make it right. His response was “not everyone is you”. That really hit home for me. We give to others what aligns with our core values, not their values.
6. Who do I miss?
My dad. He is the one person I knew would always support me and never cared about what others thought. Rarely did he tell me he loved me, but I felt more love from him than anyone else in my life. He taught me almost everything I know how to do, from gardening to fishing, loving nature to even learning to gut a toilet or run electric lines. He was the person I went to if I ever needed advice because I knew he would use common sense and put what was best for me first.
7. People would be surprised to know this about me.
I’m an introvert. I know it looks like I’m a social butterfly, but I actually prefer to spend more time alone. My guy tells me I’m great with people, but I don’t feel like I am. Don’t get me wrong, I like people and learning new things from them. However, I don’t want to put myself out there to people and I hate being the center of attention. I’ve learned this comes from a fear of being judged. Most of my life I’ve been around many people that have judged me or that I witnessed judging others and felt that they were doing the same about me. From a young age, I always felt the safest by myself. If you’ve ever taken the Meyers-Briggs personality test (most do in school or college), I am an INFJ. That should explain everything.
8. I don’t understand this.
People. I’ve never understood people who hate, gossip, judge and try to hurt others. It doesn’t make any sense to me why anyone would ever want to spend their time on earth doing that. It can’t make them feel good about themselves, so why do it? I was in a long relationship with a person that was like this and it literally sucked the life out of me. No longer do I give my time to people that treat others this way.
9. I want to do this before I die.
Travel the world. I love seeing new things, eating new things and going on adventures. Experiencing life and meeting people that I’d never normally meet.
10. I love this the most.
Life. I am so grateful to be alive and able to live out my dreams. My journey, my children, my guy, family, and friends. I love nature and being a photographer able to capture those moments in time. Tacos (oh my word I definitely love those) and spicy crab salad. I love having a cup of herbal tea before bed. Rainbows, thunderstorms and listening to the rain as it hits the roof while I’m snuggled in bed. Sunshine and cloudy days.
The feeling when a walleye hits my lure. Being on the water at sunrise and at sunset. Planting a seed and watching it emerge from the soil. All my trees and plants that grow at my home. Opening morning of deer season, as the sun rises and I see that first deer appear. Road trips to anywhere. A pair of good boots. Hot baths with candles. Fall, Winter, Spring and a cool Summer. Laughing, I love to laugh.
11. What do I regret?
Listening to others. I was raised to live life with no regrets and have always tried to do that. When I listen to myself and do what I feel to my core is the right thing, I’ve never regretted that once. However, when I’ve listened to other’s advice or tried to make them happy before doing what felt true for me. I’ve regretted almost every situation as a result of that.
12. Am I Happy?
Yes. I am one happy girl.
13. This is what my ideal life looks like.
Peace, happiness, security, and love. Being able to help others who want to be better and do better. Marvel at life each day. Capture beauty and life.
14. Do I have any unresolved pain that needs to be healed?
Yes. I’m working on it. I always want to grow and learn. I realize that things that happened in my childhood have affected my adult life and who I am. I’m working through those one at a time.
15. What is my biggest strength?
My Level Head. I know that I am the one that is solely responsible for my happiness. That bad things happen all the time and it’s my choice of how to react to them. You won’t see me acting crazy and trying to hurt others when bad things happen. I accept it, learn the lesson and move on.
16. My favorite memory is this.
Being on the water. I can’t say as I can remember one specific time, but any time I get on the water I feel a sense of peace. The gentle rock of the water and smell reminds me of my childhood. Growing up we spent an enormous amount of time on or near the water fishing and camping with my family.
17. I admire this about me the most.
Raising my children to be good adults. I’m proud of who they are. The men in their lives have disappointed them repeatedly, which could have made it easy for them to play the poor pitiful me card in life. They never have. Instead, they are happy and healthy and living out their own authentic lives. I’m not sure how I raised them to be this good, but I do admire that damn good job I did.
18. Do I challenge myself? If not, what are some areas I could challenge and grow myself as a person?
Yes! I want to be the best version of myself, even this article was a challenge I made for myself. Other areas I want to continue to learn and grow are: trusting my gut more, paying attention to others and why they do things they do, not accepting things at face value. My goal is to help children and young adults learn coping skills, so I am really focusing on learning all I can in that area. My biggest challenge that I work on is putting myself out there. I was challenged by my guy to make a video of myself for my blog and I immediately felt like I was going to throw up. Obviously, this is an area that I need to challenge myself.
19. If I could talk to my twenty-year-old self, this is what I’d say.
Wait! The love you believe in, that everyone tells you is not real, is real. Wait for it. Don’t settle for anything less than you deserve. Do you know those red flags? Stop ignoring them. Those second and third chances you give out? You are wasting your time and looking like a fool. I know you think you are helping people and trying to fix their problems, but they don’t want help. Set boundaries and teach people how to treat you. Stop listening to other’s opinions, advice, and beliefs. They are crap. Listen to yourself. That rebellious side and an open mind you have will serve you well. You don’t know this yet, but in seven years you are going to get diagnosed with Lupus, so start eating healthier now.
20. I like who I am because…
I’m genuine. I once had a person tell me what they liked most about me was I said things like they were. Meaning if I saw bullshit, I called bullshit. That was true until I called them on their own bullshit, then it was probably what they liked least about me. It’s all about learning who is right for us and who is not.
I want to spend my time with people who inspire me, encourage me to be my best, are willing to grow with me and keep it positive. In, return they get the exact same from me. I’m a huge supporter of my friends and family. I want others to live their best life. Seeing someone I care about getting something they want makes me happy. I don’t have time for jealousy, hate or going nowhere and I won’t give my time to others that do. It’s all peace and love on my train. Good vibes only need to get on board.
Now it’s time to discover you! Don’t forget to print off your twenty questions here.
If you have not already signed up for our weekly mindfulness challenge but would like to, please do so here. I would love you to be a part of this mindful tribe!
Peace & Love,
Ela
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.