This is a bit random, but ...

I love this so much I just had to share it.

This is a bit random, but ... (by Philip DeFranco) ... psst. Be nicer to yourself.

If you're anything like me that voice in your head can be pretty brutal at times. Try talking to yourself like someone you care about. Also if this is completely off base, I'm sorry, and also I hate you for having your shit completely together. 😛

Also if this feels random, it is. Sometimes that's how important words have to hit you; Seemingly out of nowhere when your guard is down.

Love yo face,

-Philip DeFranco

July Resolutions

I like most people write my New Year's Resolutions in January, break them within about 30 days, and after that never look back at them.

I decided to bust them out over the weekend. I read them and didn't just laugh, but laughed hysterically.

Yep, I threw them out and started over.

I know this year has been an extreme year, but the goals I wrote in January were written in a different time. (It's crazy how MUCH things have changed in six short months.) We're in a new normal now. (Good grief I hate that phrase.) It's time for a do over.

Here are my redirected goals:

1. Walk every day. Whether it is for 5 minutes or 50.

2. Network daily. Invest in your career by investing in others.

3. Encourage 1 person a day. Reach out and say, "I see you."

4. Spend 2 hours a week learning. (I read A LOT.) Foster your curiosity. 

5. Be more aware of others. Put yourself in their shoes. Think from their perspective. What could you be doing better as a leader, teammate, partner, aunt, cousin, spouse, etc. 

Sometimes you need to regroup, redirect, and try again. 

Here's to REWRITING and RECOMMITTING! 

What are your plans for the second half of 2020?

Cheers!

Why Aren't We Confident?

I received this fantastic email today from Team EBY ... and I'd love to share it with you, in case you missed it.

Credit: Apartment Therapy

Be a lady, they said. 

...Don’t talk too loud. Don’t talk too much. Don’t take up space. Don’t sit like that. Don’t stand like that. Don’t be intimidating. Why are you so miserable? Don’t be a bitch. Don’t be so bossy. Don’t be assertive. Don’t overact. Don’t be so emotional. Don’t cry. Don’t yell. Don’t swear. Be passive. Be obedient. Endure the pain. 

- Camille Rainville, “Be a Lady, They Said”

Did you know? One in three girls with a grade point average above 4.0 do not think they are smart enough for their dream career.

Read that again. That’s every third peer, sister, daughter, or friend you know. Let it dawn on you, the realization that these smart, capable women face an epidemic no matter how deserving they truly are.

Why aren’t we confident? Why can’t we seem to escape these assaults to our self-esteem? Why do we never feel smart enough? Pretty enough? Strong enough? Good enough?

It's simple. From the time we were young until now we've been told to be something other than who we are, had expectations placed on us from society's norms, and told we need validation from others to feel confident in who we are.

No longer.

We are not asking for permission to be ourselves, we are demanding that our whole selves be accepted. We are powerful just as we are but we must now figure out how to let the rest of the world in on that secret.

POWER TIPS

Power Tip 1: Take up as much space as you want

Power Tip 2: Talk as loud as you want

Power Tip 3: Yell. Swear. Cry. Emotion is powerful

REAL TALK

Stop listening to who the world says you are 'supposed to be' and just be. Hell yeah, it feels vulnerable and scary to put yourself out there, but it's the path one must take to step fully into your most powerful and confident self. The world is waiting.

Want to read more? Check out their blog HERE.

I'm not sure if you needed to hear this today, but I sure did.

Cheers!