positively present: February 2011

As self-love month comes to an end here at Positively Present, it's important to remember that self-love is something we should all be doing year 'round. Despite all of the challenges we face, despite all of the reasons we have to doubt, we should all continue to believe we're amazing anyway. As Elizabeth Alraune once said:

“You are as amazing as you let yourself be.
Let me repeat that. You are as amazing as you let yourself be!”

Life can throw us a lot of curveballs and, sadly, too many of us hold ourselves back from doing what we really want to do because we don't believe in ourselves, we don't love ourselves. And that needs to stop now. We all need to let ourselves be amazing -- no matter what we're up against.

Hopefully this month of self-love celebration here at Positively Present has inspired you to love yourself and to realize the importance of believing in who you are. I know thinking about self-love for an entire month has really helped to put it in the forefront of my mind and has served as a reminder that loving oneself is so imperative to living a positive life.

To sum up self-love month, I've gathered some resources for you to check out, including song lyrics, articles, and even a PDF printable of self-love affirmations that you can cut out and place around the house/office/car -- wherever you need reminders most.

And even though self-love month is coming to an end -- don't forget how important it is. You deserve to be loved by yourself. No one or nothing should ever take that away from you. If you find yourself in a situation that hinders you from loving yourself, get out of it. If you find yourself around people who don't encourage you to love yourself, get away from them. Regardless of what you might think sometimes, you ARE amazing. And no matter what you're facing or what others say -- choose to be amazing anyway.

February 28, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (8)

words to love yourself by: the search ends here

(♥)

Feel it falling off like clothing
Taste it rolling on your tongue
See the lights above you glowing
Oh and breathe them deep into your lungs

It was always simple, not hidden hard
You've been pulling at the strings
Playing puppeteer for kings
And you've had enough

But the search ends here
Where the night is totally clear
And your heart is fierce
So now you finally know
That you control where you go
You can steer

So hold this feeling like a newborn
All the freedom surging through your veins
You have opened up a new door
So bring on the wind, fire and rain

It was always simple, not hidden hard
You've been played at a game
Called remembering your name
And you stuffed it up

But the search ends here
Where the night is totally clear
And your heart is fierce
So now you finally know
That you control where you go
You can steer

Oh
And now you finally know
That you control where you go
You can steer

'Cause you've been listening for answers
Oh but the city screams and all your dreams go unheard

But the search ends here
Where the night is totally clear
And your heart is fierce
So now you finally know
That you control where you go
You can steer

Oh
And get out of the box
And step into the clear

Oh
Cause now you finally know
That you can steer

"Steer"
Missy Higgins

If you have 4 minutes, watch the video for this song. It's beautiful and Missy's voice is just so inspiring! "Words To Live By" is a segment on Positively Present that features my favorite quote or lyrics from the week. Every Sunday I post a quote or lyrics that have inspired me with the hope that they'll inspire you too. Comments will be closed on these posts, but feel free to tweet the post if you enjoy it or contact me via Twitter.

February 27, 2011 | Permalink

positive change: an interview with the creator of iaam

(♥)

February 2011 has been all about self-love here at Positively Present, and last month I was fortunate enough to be introduced to a site that really promotes and encourages self-love an positivity. iaam.com is a website geared toward teenagers, but it's really a site that anyone can enjoy. It's an interactive media platform that promotes positivity in all aspects of life -- and definitely worth checking out. If you're looking for some positive inspiration and articles on various life skills, iaam is the place for you.

Tell us a little about iaam.com. What does the acronym stand for and what can readers expect to find on the site?

The Teen Entertainment & Life Skills Multimedia Network, iaam.com, is an interactive multimedia platform providing entertainment and life skills information to teens and their parents and teachers. iaam.com provides valuable information on money, career, entrepreneurship, self confidence, and overall success for teens through interviews with professionals and life-skill articles and blogs, while free online games, movie trailers, music videos, quizzes, polls, and free contests boost the fun. iaam.com empowers teens to showcase talents that make them unique. By encouraging individuality and promoting positive media, iaam allows teens to shine on site.

iaam is acronym for “I am a millionaire” in all aspects of life. Media already bombards teenagers with messages of being millionaire as an ultimate prize in the society. iaam inspires teens to redefine wealth, to be rich in all that matters, and to embrace their futures believing “I am a millionaire” in all aspects of life.

What inspired you to create iaam? Why did you choose to focus on this particular audience?

As I got older and busier as a mother, I wanted to do what I love to do, make a difference, and earn a living all in one place. iaam achieved that balance. Teens are consuming more media than ever, but unfortunately, the images they see often reinforce gender stereotypes, emphasize unrealistic body images or show women in passive roles. The need for more positive images of teens in the media was clear to me. Being a parent of twin girls, I also understood the impact of media on impressionable young minds. I wanted my daughters to be exposed to positive and empowering media to help them succeed in all aspects of life and fulfill their inner potential. That was one of the primary reasons for me to be a media entrepreneur.

Our society is only as good as our next generation. By not guiding our youth on a path to success we cannot expect to be leaders in the world. According to a national survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 8- to 18-year-olds devote an average of 7 hours, 38 minutes to entertainment media in a typical day, or over 53 hours a week. It’s essential that teens are exposed to positive ideas so they look forward to creating a successful future. Young adults need a place to go where their dreams are nurtured and where they can discover how to strike a good balance in their lives early and overcome challenges they face. As a media entrepreneur, I want to provide a positive message to counteract the negative messages of violence, deceit, sex, and drugs that bombard today’s teens.

What media outlets/resources do you look to for positive inspiration?

I look to variety of media outlets to keep me inspired and motivated. Every day I try to look up positive quotes from websites like thinkexist.com and successconsciouness.com. Entrepreneurship is a long challenging road to success so being a positive person helps to fulfill your goals and stay on the mission. I enjoy positive entrepreneurship communities and websites like entrepreneur.com and onstartups.com. I also like to read inspirational stories and articles at entrepreneur.com and inspirational-short-stories.com. I enjoy websites like positivelypresent.com to get you fired up and inspired!

My favorite thing to do is to watch old episodes of “StarTrek Voyager” with my daughters and have them appreciate the leadership role of the female captain. Currently I’m reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. When I need an uplift in my day I can always pick up Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

How does positivity play a role in the cultivation of the iaam community?

From early on we designed the site to celebrate intelligence and creativity and be a place teens can dream. We are raising a tide of socially responsible media whose ultimate mission is to make teens successful. One cannot achieve success and happiness without being positive. Positive attitude, persistence, and new ideas are the main ingredients of true success. Why not help our youth follow the same path as successful people and help them build fulfilling and accomplished lives? When has gossip and negativity really helped anyone? This young generation has an enormous challenge ahead of them and we must help them prepare for what’s ahead and give them the right tools to succeed in life.

Who are some of the positive people working behind the scenes at iaam?

Everyone on our team: web designers, webmaster, and all our contractors are so excited to be part of something positive and make a difference in the world. They put their best work on the site every day. Our virtual interns, bloggers, and writers believe in our mission and their strong desire to make a difference in their peers’ lives makes a huge impact on behind the scenes. Their energy and work drive our mission.

What essential tips does iaam share with readers when it comes to living a positive life?

We are always growing and learning. Why can’t we share our wisdom and positive reinforcement in the lives of teens? Our top and foremost message is to do what you love, believe in yourself, try to be unique, and stay positive. We also channel the message that the mind is the most powerful part in your body and your thoughts are your road to what you want your life to be. Happiness and success cannot be achieved without positive thinking! Being surrounded by positive people is a very important tip we share with teens. We interview people from all walks of life and share their hard work, their passion, and what they gave up to follow their path to success.

How can others become more involved with iaam?

Websites like iaam.com are critical to a positive teen internet experience. iaam is growing organically through a grassroots movement. Here’s how you can get involved:

Join the iaam community. In addition to its teen/young adult community iaam features a parent/teacher community you can join.
Help spread the word about iaam by being our Facebook fan and Twitter follower.
Repost links to iaam articles you like on Facebook and retweet them on Twitter.
If you are a blogger or a website owner share our site with your viewership, review our site, and/or link to our site so your viewers are one click away from a positive entertaining life-skills network.
If you are writer or blogger share your thoughts and ideas with teens on iaam.
Share our site with your teen and other parents and teachers.

We all have to work together and challenge mainstream media by showing we care what our youth are exposed to. I’m proud to say we’re getting incredible support from teens, communities, bloggers, writers, entrepreneurs, etc. I believe everyone understands what we are trying to accomplish because they were teens themselves. One of the questions I always get is “Where was iaam.com when I was growing up?”

If you could offer any positive words of wisdom to young readers, what would they be?

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." - Harriet Tubman

LELA Media Inc., based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the first national positive teen media company. Founder Malini Hoover is a passionate teen advocate and she launched LELA Media Inc. to make a positive and lasting impact on today’s youth. Please visit iaam.com and be our Facebook fan. Share iaam.com with your friends -- and keep an eye out for featured posts by Positively Present on the site!

February 24, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (6)

a self-love guide for the insanely busy

(♥)

Today's post was written by Judy Clement Wall, a fellow blogger who is putting the final touches on her novel, Beautiful Lives. She blogs about the perils of life, love, writing and cheesecake at Zebra Sounds. And you can also follow her on Twitter. Today Judy's sharing with us some tips on how to love yourself -- even if you feel like you're too busy to take the time to really dive into self-love. Her tips are easy, accessible, and worth giving a try.

On January 5th, I publicly declared 2011 my year of loving fearlessly. I do that. Publicly declare. It’s a way of inviting the universe to help me toward my goals.It’s been one (exhilarating, astonishing) month since I made that announcement, and my love project has a momentum all its own. It’s becoming a big, beautiful monster of a creation, and most of the time I feel I am more holding on than actively steering its course.

So I guess it makes sense that I’ve become preoccupied with love. It’s like I’m excavating it, uncovering love, one impulse, one gesture, one meaningful connection at a time. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had a lot of conversations about what love is, how we long for it and run from it, fight and surrender to it, celebrate and resist it. Love is complicated. And simple. And heartbreaking. And miraculous.

I think maybe out of all the loves in the world – familial, romantic, platonic, unrequited, unconditional, unexpected – the most complicated of all is self-love. It shouldn’t be. I mean, there’s only one person involved. It should be the easiest love of at all, but it’s not. No one knows our faults better than we do. No one judges us more harshly. And even if we can get past all our glaring imperfections, self-love feels, well, selfish, doesn’t it? In the course of our busy lives, there is so much to do and so many people to tend to. Who has time for self-love?

But the truth is we do have time. We must. We live in a fast-paced, info-packed, high-octane society where locating our own significance is sometimes the biggest challenge of all, and feeling lost in the jostling crowd is the norm. The least we can do in the midst of all the crazy is show ourselves a little tenderness. And It doesn’t have to be elaborate or time-consuming. I made a list of five things even insanely busy people can do to feel the (self) love.

5 Ways to Feel the (Self) Love

1. Hug someone. The excellent thing about hugs is that they are as good for the hugger as they are for the huggee. Research shows that hugs lasting at least six seconds optimize the flow of mood-boosting chemicals.

2. Send a text. My Love Project started with a text I received one day when I was cold and frustrated and bitchy. “Judy, you are beautiful,” it said, and just like that, my mood was transformed. I grinned. I felt loved. I texted back, and my friend felt loved too. It’s a lot like a hug; the love flows both ways.

3. Give yourself a guilt-free pass. For fifteen minutes, give yourself permission to eat something delicious, read something funny, daydream, doodle, wander… guilt free.

4. Write a letter to yourself. Let you know you care.

5. Breathe. Stop. And. Breathe. And in that space between inhale and exhale, love the imperfect, beautiful, messy, magnificent jumble-of-awesome that is you.

Judy Clement Wall is putting the final touches on her novel, Beautiful Lives. She blogs about the perils of life, love, writing and cheesecake at Zebra Sounds. You can also follow her on Twitter.

February 22, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (18)

5 reasons self-love is not selfish

(♥)

Sometimes when people hear the word "self-love" they associate it with the word "selfish," but I'm here today to tell you that self-love is not selfish. Self-love is empowering and inspiring. It's something we should all do every single day. Loving yourself doesn't -- and shouldn't -- take away from loving others, as being selfish does. Self-love allows you to embrace who you are and, as a result, be come better at loving not only yourself but others.

While self-love can be defined as an excess in self-pride, I prefer to think of it in terms of a feeling of self-respect and self-worth. I believe the more you respect yourself, the more you respect the world around you and the more likely you'll be to live a positive life, therefore projecting positivity into the world. Of course, there will always be those that argue that self-love is narcissistic and that loving oneself too much is just plain selfish. For those haters, I'm sharing these five reasons why self-love is far from selfish.

5 Reasons Self-Love Is Not Selfish

1. Having respect for yourself leads you to have respect for others. Ever wonder why some people are so mean and judgmental? More often than not it's because they don't love themselves and are taking out the way they feel about themselves on others. If you want to live selflessly, loving yourself first is a great place to start because the more you learn to respect and love yourself, the more you will love and respect others, which, ultimately, makes the world a much better place.

2. Celebrating positive things about you supports a positive attitude about others. The more you value yourself and celebrate the good things about yourself, the more you will want to celebrate the goodness in others. When you are constantly looking down on yourself or focusing on the negative, it can be really difficult to find the positive in the world and in those around you. If you bring yourself up, you'll be much happier -- and more likely to bring others up as well.

3. Taking care of your happiness first leaves your heart open to caring for others. Putting yourself first might seem like the absolute wrong way to care about other people, but it's the best step you can take to making sure those around you are at their happiest. Once your happiness is taken care of and you really learn to love yourself, you free up your emotional time and energy to love others and focus on them. Dwelling on self-doubt and self-hate significantly takes away from others so loving yourself is essential if you want to have the energy to care for other people in your life.

4. Believing in your own abilities allows you to pursue passions that can inspire others. Once you truly start believing in yourself and focusing on your positive qualities, you'll be able to pursue your passions and spend time doing what you love. When you allow yourself to be who you are and follow your heart, you will be able to share your passion with the world. The more you believe in yourself, the more you will open up and share with others -- and what you share just might be the very inspiration someone else needs.

5. Loving yourself makes you a happier, kinder, more positive person. The basic truth is this: if you love yourself, you be happier. When you are happier, you will be nicer and kinder and more open to others. You'll be more loving and more willing to trust, enjoy, and celebrate other people. You'll look for the good in yourself and in others and, as a result, you'll have a better relationship with yourself and with the ones you love.

Though some might disagree, I firmly believe that loving yourself is an unselfish act because it leads to a more positive life for you -- and the more positive your life is, the more positive you'll be about the things and people around you. It's easy to find excuses when it comes to doing something good for yourself. You can think of plenty of reasons why you should be doing something for someone else instead. But don't let that little nagging voice in your head tell you that self-love isn't worth it or its unobtainable. It's possible for every single person to love him/herself, but it's up to the individual to make it happen. If you aren't already loving yourself and you have any doubts in your mind as to whether or not loving yourself is selfish, I hope this article has helped you realize that self-love is, in fact, an unselfish act.

I'd love to hear your opinion.
Do you think self-love is selfish?

February 21, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (16)

positively present

be amazing anyway: self-love wrap-up + resources

Self-Love Songs

Self-Love Articles + Resources

Self-Love Printable from Positively Present