Don't Sweep with a Dirty Broom

Before you go trying to beautify your life's sub-sections -- job, love-life, relationships -- you need to clean up yourself first. Otherwise, you're just going to drag your "dirt" into those other sections and they'll never be what you want them to be. It's not them (the boss, the new love, or any other person you'd like to have a functional relationship with), it's you. And the sooner you realize that, and start working on cleaning up the "you," the more beautiful your life, as a whole, will be.
You alone are responsible for your happiness. You can make excuses until the cows come home, dwell on your past, or blame others for your current unhappiness; but only YOU can accept what it is/was, make the decision to move past it, and look eagerly into your future. Only you can grasp your life with both fists, take control over what it is, direct it toward what you want it to be, and take the first step to get there.

Only you.

So take that broom (that would be you) outside and bang the crap out of it until all the dirt and dust are gone, and it's nice and clean and in the condition it needs to be to do its job, and THEN go back inside and sweep all your rooms.

...This is my metaphorical kick in the ass for whoever might need it.

November was a doozy. I didn't blog once, and I'm not happy about that. (Notice how I'm not making any excuses about it, though.) I'm back in gear ... and apparently not in the mood to beat around the bush, walk on egg shells, or blow sunshine up any butts. I'm wearing my big girl panties. I highly recommend them.

I hope everyone has a great week! (And if you don't, really, whose fault is that?)
Rock your own world.
Jen

My Brain Turned On at Around 30 Years Old

I spent my childhood and teen years like most everyone else ... having fun / acting like an idiot. But at some point that phase of life is over and you're a grownup. Let's say that's at age 20 (because really, who decided 18 years qualifies anyone as an adult?). Okay so 20 (which is still arguable, but we need a number here) ... what was I doing? I was married to a fool and expecting my first child. ::shakes head:: It's the ten "grown up" years from 20 to 30 that I really cannot account for. I had no real direction. I hated my job. I didn't know who the hell I was, where I was going, what I wanted -- in a relationship, as a career, out of life. But somewhere around 30 years old my brain turned on ...CLICK...

I got rid of the fool.

I enrolled in college and took random classes just so I would be IN a classroom and stop talking about how I'd LIKE to be in one. And I found out I could not get enough -- education became a sort of drug for me.

I went church shopping and found a church community where I fit in and could contribute. And I learned the true meaning of belonging.

...And I started writing. That's when everything click-click-clicked into place. I found out that I LOVED writing, and all of a sudden I knew where I was going, what I wanted to be, the kind of job I would enjoy doing. I could actually RESPOND when somebody said, "Tell me a little about yourself."

I finally knew who I was ... I was Jennifer, the Writer.