You Don't Belong in the Dictionary

I always felt like I was more mature than my years. When I was in kindergarten, I insisted on wearing a pearl necklace every day. (So much so, in fact, that my teacher started calling me Barbara Bush. I was a very conservative 5-year-old.) I didn't care what people thought.

And that's what real maturity is, people. It's not caring what people think. It's being secure enough in who we are as individuals that we don't need other people to validate us. I can validate myself. We are not defined by everyone else's definition of us. (That doesn't happen until we die. And, even then, if we've defined ourselves well enough, we might still be in good shape.) We are defined by what we think and make of ourselves.

Yesterday, for instance, I put a picture up on Facebook of my newly pierced ears. Looking at that picture I realized that I have a really nice profile. (Not a Facebook profile, but a real actual profile.) So I left a comment under my own picture saying so.

BAM! I just validated myself.

A few weeks ago I was singing karaoke on the patio at the casino, and a lady from the newspaper took my picture. When I finished singing she asked me for my name and information. She then said, “If it'll be in the paper, it'll be in next Thursday. If not, you'll definitely be on the website.” I just looked at her and said, “I'm gorgeous. I'll be in the paper.”

Guess what?

I was in the paper.

It's not about being full of yourself or narcissistic (though, those things are totally necessary in moderation). It's about knowing that you're awesome. How can anyone else think you're awesome if you don't already realize it?

Reflect yourself out onto other people. Don't let them reflect onto you. Because (most of the time) they don't really know what's going on, anyway.

This is one of my favorite quotes:
“I love Mickey Mouse more than any woman I have ever known.” - Walt Disney

Exactly. Because Mickey Mouse was an extension of himself. Mickey Mouse was a reflection of Walt Disney. He didn't let anyone mess with that. And look how that worked out! We aren't defined by what others make of us— we're defined by what we do to leave our mark on this world.

You can't love other people until you love yourself. Give yourself a chance to shine. Don't worry about what other people think of you. Those people will come and go... But the Mickey Mouse inside you will be there forever.