BE.GOOD.TO.YOURSELF.

WRITER: KRYSTA  KLUMPP 

CALIFORNIA

“It's not who you are that holds you back, but who you think you're not.”

Life is hard. When we're children, we await the day we can drive, date, be an adult...the day we can leave the playground and play with the big kids. Then there's the rude awakening that when you drive there can be devastating accidents. Dating can lead to broken hearts. Playing with the big kids means paying bills and responsibility. It's a certain expectancy that we don't always want to be held accountable for. Sometimes life can get so overwhelming you think it's too hard. You think you're not strong enough, smart enough, pretty enough, bold enough to contend in such a fast paced world.

This is something I face everyday. I was asked months ago to write a submission for this site but I couldn't. I would write and write and rewrite and ultimately trash any paragraph I had carefully composed. As a Type-A perfectionist, failure is not an option. Unfortunately for me, I'm learning everyday that failure is imminent. The worst part is that the only person I'm failing is myself. Nobody else thinks that I'm unaccomplished or untalented. Nobody questions my life decisions because it's my life! If that's the case, why do I worry so much about pleasing others? Why do I constantly wonder if I left a good impression on them, if they are proud of me, if they think I'm good enough.

Obviously to a certain extent you want people to think well of you. I'm not writing this to say, “Be yourself, even if you don't like to wear deodorant ” Please...wear deodorant. I mean to say, go easy on yourself. When you make a mistake, learn from it and move on. When someone makes a snide remark about a personal decision, forget it! If you know for yourself that you're living your life the best you can – then revel in that. Recognize all the good you do and the good that you are. 

How many times do I look in the mirror and the first thing I see is a zit. A food baby. An outfit that just isn't as trendy as everyone else. How many times? Every time. But for someone reason, when I looked into the mirror the other day I looked at all of me. Me as a whole. Krysta, the confident bubbly girl who likes to sit on the front row. Krysta, a woman who wants to graduate and be successful in both her home and work place. Krysta, a person who wants to be the best she can be for everyone, including herself.

It was a strange experience. I didn't see the flaws, the vain things that the world tells me I need to focus on. I saw me and I smiled. There is a great potential within each of us, that is not to say that we haven't already achieved good things, but that there is no end to goodness. Be good to your friends and family. But most importantly, be good to yourself.