Winning!!

My dad and I had a terrific heartfelt, tearful conversation before he left The States for Portugal. We made sure to say all the things we wanted to, just in case his plane crashed and we didn't get to say it (true story).

The overall theme of our conversation was living every day like it's your last, and the fact that I've always put a lot of pressure on myself, ever since I was a little girl. I think this was meant to be constructive criticism, a suggestion to step back and smell the roses...I do smell the roses, I try to live in the moment, but I also believe in intense pressure making us the best that we can possibly be. You may hate clichés, but consider a diamond as the perfect example.

I've just recently begun to embrace my neuroticism, because there's no chance of it going away. My quirks make me, well, quirky. Instead of wasting energy trying to be something I'm not, it's much more fulfilling to be accepting of what others may view as shortcomings.

Below is a blend of ideas from Rocky, Charlie Sheen, and my ever-confident boyfriend. When my self-doubt starts to take control, and I feel myself spinning, reading this helps me remember that I am in control...

"Blaming shortcomings on this or that or someone is not what winners do. Life will always throw punches. It's not about how hard you can hit, it's about how you take the hits that counts. Winners overcome and no one can stop them, because there's no one to blame but themselves. WINNING!!"

(P.S.- if you're able to picture Charlie Sheen shouting, "Winning!" over and over again, it makes this much more effective, hahaha!)