TGIF || All About You

Hello there,

I hope you’ve had a good week and are going to have an even better weekend. As you might know, I’ve been in a different foreign country than I usually am, away from friends and family, for about a month now.

Italy is absolutely breathtaking and I know I’m coming back here but I also really appreciate it for the alone time I’ve had, and the beautiful views it’s given  me to spend that time in.

I’ve been watching the SHE Unleashed series by blogger Frederique Tietchieu of I Go By Frankie, it’s on her YouTube channel, and I’ve been mulling over some of the things she talks about and so on.

I never really understood what people meant by spending time alone with yourself or getting to know yourself, and I still don’t think I do but having spent some time away from most of the distractions I usually have I think I have been doing that lately.

The one thing that Freddie mentions that really strikes a chord somewhere in me is that we should treat ourselves like our own best friends. When you think about it, it’s pretty deep. You know how sometimes you put yourself down; tell yourself you’re not smart enough to do something, nowhere near talented enough to try that, that you’re not funny or interesting or responsible, or when you pick at things about you- I don’t like my legs, I hate my lips, I wish my eyes were lighter- it’s really easy to do that. On the other hand, if one of your friends comes up to you and says, ‘I’m really not smart enough for this job or to apply to this school or that program’, your first reaction will usually be to tell them how incredible they are and push them to do it, or tell them they’re ridiculous for disliking some body part.

If you’re your own best friend, you’ll do that for yourself as well. You’ll look out for yourself. You’ll talk yourself up, and push yourself to try new things, to chase your dreams, to love yourself enough to make changes where you actually need to while acknowledging your awesomeness anyway.

It’s become increasingly popular to dislike yourself, or to act like you’re the least important person you know, and to think all the people you see on tumblr or Instagram or who write great articles, or your friends are better than you or worth more of your time than you. That’s not how it works. They’re great people, as are you. It’s important to be selfish with and respect your time and your body and your emotions. Think about it, if you had a friend who treated you the way you treat yourself, how good of a friend would they be?

I know it sounds really abstract but it’s also important to know yourself and enjoy your own company; and to not be afraid to be yourself. You’re not going to dye your hair blue because people will think you’re crazy. Those people will see you on the street for all of five seconds and forget you, you’ll be happy for four months because you love your new hair color.

Are you wearing that midi skirt because you want to, or because you think other people will like it? Are you not speaking up in your classes because you prefer not to, or because you don’t want people to judge you somehow? It’s important to respect the people around you when you make decisions, but don’t let that completely dictate how you live your life. It’s a balance I’m learning to achieve.

If nothing else, I hope you take one thing from this post; be your own best friend.

Peace, love, and funk,

Amoafoa.