For my holidays this year, I decided, not without apprehension, that I would travel alone to visit my friends who live in the Maritimes. It’s a good two days drive from home. I have never done something like this before – oh I had been the sole driver to Florida with my husband in the car but in my book that wasn’t driving alone. I prepared well in advance, made myself some lists, bought a GPS and learned how to program it, packed everything carefully, bought a car fridge to keep my water…cold and made some motel reservations at estimated place of arrival for the first night, etc. In summary, I tried to think and foresee everything as much as I could. What I didn’t count on were the surprises that one meets along the way; the impromptu visit to my 84 year old aunt in Quebec City, who fed me supper, kept me for the night and prepared me breakfast the next morning – just as good as a Comfort Inn – even better I had wonderful company…so much for the motel reservation…; the group of bikers who stopped to take pictures, right beside where I stopped to take pictures and we ended up talking for an hour about the road conditions and other exciting nothings – all the guys, five of them, were from the Eastern Townships area; the man who made the remark about my hair being red because of all the sun and because I looked at him sideways, he said: “hey, don’t kill me, it just happens that I love red heads… And that is not mentioning the conversation I had with the sculptor who explained to me how he carefully chooses his pieces of wood with the right grain , the right color, etc. and ended up by telling me that he had lost his wife to cancer two years before; or the little old ladies who sell their crafts at garage sales; or the guy who accepted to share his shady picnic table in a rest area; or yet again, the couple from Ontario who sat at the table next to me for dinner and who kept me entertained during the whole meal and with whom I shared a bottler of wine. Are you beginning to see that I had a wonderful drive?
You see, in the weeks prior to leaving for this trip I had been complaining that I was lonely and alone – not making a difference between the two. I began realizing that alone is when you actually have nobody around you. Feeling lonely is more of a mindset. You can feel lonely even if you are surrounded by tons of family and friends. Not everyone who is lonely is alone, and not everyone who is alone is lonely. Lonely means you are forced to be alone, whereas you can choose to be alone, and it's quite different. Everybody can have company with one's Self, with the divine within. You can talk with the 'still small voice within.' But not everyone can do that at first. They need to have company with people, somebody to share with. When they share, their burden is lessened. They feel comfortable, so they are not lonely. But it is not the ultimate solution. Relationships also can create dependency. It is a temporary relief from loneliness. There is also company with what I call higher consciousness – my higher self. I can communicate with that and myindividual mind talks to my higher mind.... Nobody is actually truly isolated. We have company within us. We don't realize it. This is what I call ignorance of one's own Self.... I enjoy being by myself, and I enjoy being around other people but I no longer depend on other people being around for my happiness." Another thing I realized is that society expects you to be two – they expect a couple - two at the restaurant…two in a motel room – and when I tell them that I’m alone, they look at me as if I’m in lack of something. I was having dinner in some kind of a bar, on the way back and as I sat there eating I noticed that people were staring. I then realized that it was not the first time that when I eat alone people would stare. I don't see anything wrong with eating alone, but what do you think? Why do people think it is so peculiar to be sitting alone in a restaurant? I’m thinking that it’s good for me to go out and not care what people think. I’m proud that I get up the courage to go eat out alone. Who cares what people think? And at least I go and show them that I can eat alone. I don't need somebody to eat with. I am confident enough to eat alone. I’ve watched other people eat alone but they talk to other people on their cell phones because they can't be alone. I find that waiters and waitresses tend to take extra care of people who eat alone – that’s very thoughtful of them. Being alone is usually chosen, while being lonely is missing someone or something, and longing to fill that absence. Being lonely is emptiness inside that can be felt in a room full of people. I really like being alone sometimes because I can usually find things to do... but don’t get me wrong here, I would still like to have a Special Someone to be with, I do get Lonely for a Hug and not from Family or Friends. I mean from a person of the opposite sex that I would be attracted to. I am in my sixties and still like the same things I did when I was 18 years old... Love and affection, hugs and kisses and all the rest.... Being alone is by one's own choice, being lonely is not by choice!!!! With lots of hugs, I’m sure you’ve heard of those stories when someone, be it a government worker, an accountant or another one of the glorified professions, decided to let go of everything they have accomplished so far just to open a pastry shop, or a restaurant or a spa. In exchanging a salaried job against a rolling pin or zen music, these people reinvented themselves, gave a breath of fresh air to their lives and realized their dreams.
Yep! Do you believe in those fairy tales? Do these stories leave you a bit cynical? Maybe because the media loves these bits of good news – and of course they leave you with the idea that by taking such a perilous decision, it has to become a success story. But this is not life. Life is having girls who take violin lessons and boys who want to become the next NHL celebrity, roofs that leak, brakes that fail and need to be replaced and our beloved income tax that continues to be the highest in North America. And we don’t want (really don’t want) to spend our golden age at the mercy of a bankrupt government who will only have the means to let us bathe once a week. So…we keep on working and we put away our dreams. That’s what the majority of women decide to do; there are more women with great projects than there are men, but men are more inclined to realize their dreams than women are. Why is that? And if we could “realize our dream”, not to win an Oscar or to become a millionaire, but simply to become “who we really are”. No need to put the family in jeopardy, or sacrifice our retirement money or the financial well-being of our children. Close to 65% of Canadians believe that they will continue to work when the bell to announce their retirement rings – just to remain active and connected to society, but also because they believe that they still have a need to earn a living. If we still need the money that a job provides…might as well have fun. Leaving a well paid job is not an easy decision to make – there are sacrifices to be made, more or less important, in order to make another life that would be more fulfilling; to do something that we have always dreamed of doing. Making such a decision will probably not bring us to Hollywood or will not buy us a villa in Italy, but it will give us a sense of accomplishing something and of being where we are supposed to be. It’s not even necessary to disrupt our lives to realize a dream – we can also choose to live the dream without having the obligation to make a living of it. In mid-career, I decided to leave a full-time government job to start a new life in sales where I was very successful for ten years; I chose my hours; I was my own boss; I made good money…and I did have fun. There are many lives in one life and we can live them all at the same time…What’s your dream? Go for it…I dare you. With much affection Mamie Lucie Still looking for your purpose? Still looking for the meaning of life? Still wondering what the reason is for you to be here? Well, dear friends, I’ve discovered that we all have the same purpose, the same goal for being incarnated here on earth. We choose our own body before we are born, we choose the circumstances of our lives, we choose our parents, we choose the individuals with whom we will interact during the course of our life, we choose the type of work we’re going to do… and whatever role we choose to assume, the purpose for being down here is the same for everyone. – Surprised? I was.
For most of my life I can remember asking myself the question, “Who am I and why am I here?” My answer to myself often left me feeling empty and wondering if I would ever know my life’s true purpose. As a child and young woman, I didn’t have a grand dream or calling that I could remember. I was interested in a lot of different things and wasn’t afraid to explore. At the time, I thought I would become a teacher or a nurse. I was raised to believe that I was born with some important purpose or mission in life. I was raised to believe that if I wasn't fulfilling that purpose, God would be angry with me and I would be punished. With time, I learned this wasn’t so. Growing up with my parents, I knew I would get married, have a family and find something meaningful to do. That’s the way I was raised…you’ll find something to do! I thought that the Universe had a very specific purpose for me, me alone, me myself…I found that the purpose is there for everyone and the purpose is two fold - we all have the mission or purpose of attaining perfection, not perfection according to earth standards or however perfect the rest of the world would like us to be, but perfection according to our own talents, our abilities, our aptitudes, our character, our qualities and yes according to our weaknesses as well. In order to become perfect, I think I have to first find out who I am and then be myself – not what I’m supposed to be, but what I want to be. Not the way other people would want me to be, but what I chose to be and everything else will take care of itself. The real reason I chose to be here – my purpose and mission in life – is simply to know who I really am – and to me that’s a good enough reason. My purpose is whatever purpose I gave myself, my mission in life is the mission I chose for myself! Remember, we are always in complete control, but help is always there. Therefore, there is nothing I can do that does not serve my purpose. Whatever I’m doing at this exact moment is completely serving my purpose. Let me repeat, everything I do serves my purpose! The second reason why we are here, the second fold of the purpose is essentially, in order to love. One is born a human being in order to grow in awareness and learn that one has a choice. The planet earth and the state of human life are places in which one can learn the lessons of love and choice. It is clear, if we only think for a moment, that being human is an incredible opportunity to learn to love. It is not automatic but something that one chooses to learn. One can choose hate, bitterness, revenge, or one can choose love. One is presented with that choice at virtually every moment. Can I love myself as I walk down the street? Can I love this life as I wake up in the morning, even with all its imperfections and difficulties? Can I love this guy who cuts me off in traffic? Can I love this woman who splashes me from head to toe on a rainy morning? Can I love this weather when it rains 4 days in a row? Maybe I cannot answer yes to all of those questions – it’s a lot easier to say we love when nobody else is involved but when we have to suffer, endure, put up with….oh my! With everything that others dump on us, well that’s something else. But we do have a choice and if we choose to love, that is the key to accomplish our mission successfully. With much love, affection and hugs, Mamie Lucie This happened a little while ago, but I was reminded of it this morning on my way to work. For better or for worse…No! No! I’m not getting married again…even if the title is always associated with the action of marriage; there are other instances when one can make a decision for better or for worse.
The night before, I had gone to the Roger Waters’ show “Pink Floyd – The Wall” and of course I came back with a T-shirt – a ladies T-shirt and it has a flock of flying red birds on the left shoulder and this lady mentioned that she really liked my T-shirt. So I spread the front to allow her to read “Roger Waters, The Wall, live”. When I saw her blank face I asked her: “Don’t you know the Wall…Pink Floyd…that’s part of your generation…(mine too) how come you don’t know Pink Floyd? And she told me what I consider a most amazing story – the kind that makes the hair go up on my arms, gives me the shivers. She told me: You know, I have had no childhood, no adolescence…never went anywhere, never done anything, didn’t have many friends…I always had to take care of my parents…my father was a drunk, never at home, we never knew where he was and my mother was depressive and suicidal and we were always afraid she was going to kill herself. She brought kitchen knives in her bed and I had to go and find the knife while she was sleeping – she was on anti depressants – other times she would bring the iron in her bed…My brother and I took turns to make sure she didn’t do anything bad. And I asked: But then you got married and you’ve been married for quite a number of years, so your life must have improved… She replied: Not really, thank God my husband has the patience of Job for having stayed with me all those years – I always had to take care of my family…we were there all the time to settle disputes, to calm things down…etc. And I said: But look at you now, you have an important position in the government, you are a beautiful lady, with such a nice attitude, positive, compassionate, patient, kind. etc. and yet knowledgeable and professional…and the conversation kind of ended there. While carrying on with my own activities, I was thinking, what a woman? Here she is, a girl who had a hard childhood, no silly adolescence adventures, not receiving any affection from her parents, gets married, has a family and a career and keeps taking care of her parents, etc. She could have decided to start drinking and follow in her father’s footsteps or she could have indulged in a major depression and be like her mother, or worse, without any proper guidance, she could have turned to a life of crime and misery. But no, she made the best of it, she went to school, got a job, perfected herself and attained a high level position where she directs other people with understanding, compassion, patience and on top of that she has an open door policy where anyone can go in, speak with her, empty their full bag of complaints and she will listen, she will understand, she will encourage and motivate them and all of this with the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. I have never seen her in a bad mood and she is a fun loving person, always ready to organize something fun for her employees. For better or for worse, she chose the better. She had a choice; like we all have…we choose our own lives…for better or for worse. What do you choose? With much affection and hugs, Mamie Lucie On her blog yesterday, http://crowingcrone.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/worry , my friend Joss talked about worry and her article made me reflect on this very subject: WORRY. I wrote on my Facebook wall not too long ago that we are insulting the Universe when we worry that our needs will not be fulfilled and I believe this to be true, for were we not told in Matthew 6:34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Most of us worry from time to time. Some worry occasionally, only when difficult situations arise; others worry more often, usually about specific areas of their lives, such as health, a relationship, children, money, job, and so on; whereas some people worry constantly. If they have nothing specific to worry about, they will think something up. Even worse, they might unconsciously create a difficult problem or situation, just to have something “real” to worry about. And because our thoughts create, believe me, these situations will materialize. So we have to be very careful of what we worry about – better yet – don’t worry! We don’t have to deny our worries or push them out to the limits because in reality, we can’t. It is a part of us. It’s part of our human nature. Indeed, worry is good to some extent, because it compels us to take care of things, so as to remove the worry – if we take care of the situation that makes us worry, the worry goes away because the problem is solved. Worry only takes a toll on our lives if we are so consumed in it. We should take control over our worries instead of letting them take control over us. Worries are only in our head anyway, thus it leaves us a choice whether to allow them to take root or just forget about them, because sometimes, worrying about a problem becomes much bigger than the problem itself. The Greek word for “worry” is “merimnaw”, which literally means “to be drawn in different directions”. In logical terms, worry tears us to pieces spiritually, psychologically, physically and even socially. What do we do when we are afraid? We are drawn in different directions, “we run around like a hen with her head cut off”, in search of a solution for something that we can’t see, for something that hasn’t happened yet. So, I think we worry, because we fear what is going to happen. My blood pressure is a bit high…so am I on the road to have a heart attack? My bank account has only $2.28 in it…so am I going to have to go on the street tomorrow and beg? Worry is the fear of not knowing what will be there tomorrow. Today is the tomorrow that we worried about yesterday (author unknown). So, is today so bad that we really needed to worry about it yesterday? One of the best ways I know that helps me not to worry is to count my blessings. It’s human nature to want more and strive for a better life, but for many it becomes a constant obsession; it’s contemplating on what is lacking that brings up worry and fear. When I start worrying about something, I start thinking about the health that I have today, not being afraid of the bobos I might have tomorrow; about the food that I put on the table today, not the lack I may experience when I retire; about the sun and the balmy weather that we are enjoying today, not about the storm and the -30C that may plague us tomorrow. We get our daily dose of blessings every day. Let’s enjoy them. Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed. Sorry for the cliché here, but it’s true. A few simple changes can help eliminate most worry and anxiety. A calm approach and a clear mind can help find creative solutions to every problem. A quick word of prayer, a short meditation, two or three deep breaths…There you go! With much affection and hugs, Mamie Lucie Prosperity for some is about money, lots of money – prosperity is leading a life of luxury - in my view that is wealth not prosperity. A wealth reality is created with a prosperity consciousness. And wealth is not necessarily evaluated only with money – one can have a wealth of experience that does not necessarily translate into money. The beggar on the street may have a wealth of experiences in the field of raising money for his own prosperity. Even if he has lots of money in the bank, if he has no joy or peace, can he really claim to be prosperous? Prosperity is in the mind – either we vibrate prosperous or not. Many people do not understand that true prosperity does not necessarily mean being in possession of money. Can you see that I’m having fun with this.
I see Prosperity as the absence of “lack”. So what is lack? There is something missing in my jewellery box…The consciousness that blocks prosperity is the consciousness of lack. And we experience lack, because we look at the glass half empty instead of seeing it half full. All prosperity begins within. Our world outside can only reflect what we are experiencing inside. And if our ego is not allowing us to follow our heart’s desire—or is reacting to the news of external events—it will be hard for us to prosper. What we are all looking for is that feeling of joy and peace of mind that is pure prosperity. To experience prosperity we need to be grateful for what we have; when I see the number, the variety, the color of the birds that come feeding on my porch I feel prosperous. When I get up in the morning and I can put the lights on I feel prosperous. When I get in the shower and the water comes on I feel prosperous and why not maximize that thought and visualize the water cleaning up accumulated tensions and frustrations at the same time as clearing up the dirt. When I go out to my car and drive to work I feel prosperous. When I go shopping for groceries and I have enough money to pay I feel prosperous and why not extend that feeling and add a touch of love and health vibrations when we prepare a meal. I’m cooking home-made beans this morning and they smell so good – I feel prosperous. I guess I made my point. I am prosperous because I believe that the only permanent truth is God – the Universe – that I am made of God-stuff, and that my world reflects his thoughts as a co-creator and one of God’s name is Abundance. Prosperity is the confidence I have that I will be able to see and use the good I have in every situation, that beyond every thunderstorm is a rainbow and I will live to see that day. One of the secrets of the universe is that everyone is wealthy, whether of prosperity or lack, or something in between. But life is always full of something. Ultimately, prosperity is a state of mind, but more importantly, it’s about our feelings and emotions about our own life. There have been times when I've felt very prosperous and appreciated everything I had - I didn't necessarily have a lot of money in the bank - but everything was fine. There have also been times when I've had more money, but acting through fear and desperation, "lost" it and consequently didn't feel prosperous at all. So, it’s true that the consciousness that blocks prosperity is the consciousness of lack. The affirmation that abundance does not exist in the world in general is always temporary, because it is untrue. Sooner or later we run out of lack, and we become desperate enough to hope for some good. The consciousness that permits us to experience prosperity is wealth consciousness. It is recognition that the universe contains every thing we need and more. The world is made of energy, according to the physicists, and we only need to learn how to release the energy trapped everywhere. We are pure energy – we just need to release this energy to have prosperous thoughts rather than lack thoughts and we are instantly prosperous. Try it you’ll see. Thinking gratitude elevates our prosperity vibration immediately and our perspective changes in an instant. Here’s a dream I had in August 2008 (George died in September 2009): “George and I had been living on the street in Ottawa. It was the end of the afternoon and we were tired and George found himself a cot on the side of a service station but there was no space for me. I kept on walking around and I came to a house with a door open. I went in, there were other people and I went to a room where there was a bed and other things. I laid down on the bed with my bag and I fell asleep. When I woke up in the morning, there was another couple there with a little kid. I looked outside and it was raining and I wasn’t happy. I had an umbrella but it was broken – I couldn’t open it because a piece was missing. The tip of it had fallen into a bottle of wine that I had in my bag and I didn’t want to throw away the wine to retrieve the tip. The man who was in the room said that he could fix my umbrella if I let him retrieve the tip of the umbrella from the bottle of wine so he dumped the wine and fixed my umbrella. I called George on my cell and told him where I was and in an instant he was there. He wasn’t the old and feeble George that he is now. Anyway we started walking on the street and he met this man with whom he started talking about religion and I just left. And I remember that while I was walking on the street I kept telling myself tomorrow I’ll be OK because I’m going to get paid and everything will be alright.” Even in my dreams, I vibrate prosperityand the Universe protects me and provides what I need. Don’t ask me why I was living on the street – it was a dream- - all I know is that I knew even though my circumstances were not at all the best, I knew I was going to be OK. Appreciating life's abundance is one way of opening myself up to accept more good in my life. When I fully appreciate what I have in my life, the Universe has a way of giving me more, because the Universe – God is pure abundance. In other words, if we want to experience prosperity, we have to raise our vibration of gratitude. I talk about gratitude and how to manifest abundance or prosperity in several texts of my second book “More Just us Girlfriends”. You can preview the book and order your very own copy by visiting the Newsroom page and this was not meant as a sales pitch. With much love, hugs and affection, Mamie Lucie Well friends, it’s almost the end of the year and Christmas is only a few days away – I have chosen to call it Christmas this year and not the Holidays – Christmas is my holiday and the others can have the holidays of their choice – Over the years my idea of Christmas has changed. It used to be the rat race in the stores to buy whatever at inflatable prices, run here and run there and cook huge amounts of food, stock the liquor cabinet and run myself ragged and tired. By the time Christmas Eve came, I was so exhausted that I didn’t enjoy it anyway. For me, Christmas is a time of family, rest and reflection. I made the decision just this week to take two weeks holidays to take a break from my normal busy schedule of holding a full-time job, write, cook, and taking care of business with Just Us Girlfriends. I remember when things used to be so much simpler, and of course I was so much younger. I can remember when youth and enthusiasm were the greatest tools in my arsenal and when I could stay up half of the night and still be able to carry on the day after. My Christmas will be with my family and close friends this year.
I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who have supported me over the last year and let you know how it has been appreciated. I know many of you look forward to reading my articles and I appreciate all the kind comments I receive about them. I write these articles to arouse your imagination, to stir your thoughts, to motivate you and to help you deal with the problems we all seem to face as we travel through this journey called life. These are my opinions only and I can only write honestly and from my heart. Anyone who truly knows me understands that I wouldn’t be able to write any other way because that is who I am. In my articles I write a lot about being grateful with what we have, being careful about our thoughts and our words, living in the present and love unconditionally. Yes I understand, you’ve probably heard these things hundreds of times and it’s all become common sense. But believe me, it’s not easy to live this way and there is a big gap between dreaming about things and doing something in order to bring them to life. If we keep on wishing something to happen and remain inactive, our plans and dreams will not happen – so taking immediate action is paramount to change something in our lives and make them better. The world is undergoing major changes at the moment and they are affecting all of our lives – but it all boils down to our inner selves. Without keeping a clear vision and focusing on improving our mental, emotional and physical capacity it is going to be much harder to live a peaceful and harmonious life. So my wish for you this Christmas is peace and harmony in your life – may your lives slowly take the shape that you have imagined; may the New Year make all your dreams come true! With much affection and hugs Mamie Lucie I do believe in angels! You? In pursuing my spiritual quest, I have met angels…yes, the kind that come and help us when we need them the most…Believing in angels is not the kind of topic that we expect to talk about at the beauty salon or chatting with friends. And I guess it’s not something that you think about very often, but I thought that as Christmas approaches, it would be a good topic for Mamie Lucie to broach. This is the time of the year when most angels appear…under disguise…usually as a mortal human…
Angels are not those little chubby little babies with wings that we see sometimes sitting on clouds and playing a harp or those little red cherubs who carry a bow and arrow to make us fall in love…I’m not sure if they have wings, but as spirit beings, it is unclear as to why angels would require wings. A spirit being does not need wings in order to fly. The angels are not bound by the laws of the physical universe. So, do angels have wings? Yes, some angels do have wings. However, we should not limit what the angels can or cannot do based on our limited understanding of the wings angels possess. Many people believe angels are all around us, however not everyone is convinced. Do you have a convincing angel story that could turn a skeptic into a believer? Has an angel appeared before your very eyes or made its presence known to you in some other way? I’m sure that there are angels and I often feel that there’s something protecting and helping me when life becomes too difficult, but I’ve never actually seen an angel, just sensed their presence. One morning, I was driving on the highway, very early in the morning – when it’s not light yet and the road was slippery and right above the hill, around the curb, the traffic was stopped. I had no way of knowing this…and all of a sudden I knew I had to stop if I didn’t want to plow into the rear of the car in front of me and I had a quick look at the car behind me and I knew that he wouldn’t be able to stop either…I would get it from both ends. I almost closed my eyes…I must have stopped less than two inches from the bumper in front of me and when I looked in my rear view mirror, fully expecting a bump any second, I saw that the car behind had stopped so closed to my rear that there wasn’t two inches to spare…I figured that there must be just enough space for two angels, one in the front and one in the back to stand in between. Did I say I believe in angels…well I do believe there is something out there – and I know there are things like what happened that morning which I can’t explain. Although I am not particularly fond of organized religion, I do think of myself as spiritual and I believe that spiritual communication, whether it be angels or a voice from God, or whatever, is entirely possible if our hearts and minds are open to this. As I write this, I know that there is an angel standing right behind my right shoulder, it is my guardian angel and he, or could be she, is always there. Each one of us has chosen an angel to accompany us during this earthbound trip that we embarked upon when we decided to be born. My angel acts as a shield made from the energy of light and it’s a part of my angel’s tasks to put this shield around me. Now, why would my angel stand on my right side? I learned just a few weeks ago that there is a part of the brain called the limbic brain, that is located on the right side of the head, just above the ear – what I learned is that this region is also called the “old brain”, because it controls many of our basic instincts such as emotion and behavior, but it is also where humans can receive messages from the other side and some believe that we can get direct communication from God. When I receive intuitive messages or messages from my guardian angel or from my guides, I always hear them on the right side of my head. I believe in contacting my guardian angel or connecting with my spirit guides is a very personal experience that is unique to each individual. Our guardian angel is the gatekeeper of our body and our soul and we chose him or her before we were conceived and while we grow in the mother’s womb it is there to protect us. Once we are born and as we grow up our guardian angel never leaves our side for an instant; he is with us when we sleep, when we are in the bathroom, all the time – we are never alone. Then, when we are ready to go back home our guardian angel is there to take us back safely. On one hand, I don’t have all the answers about angels, just an incessant curiosity to find out more about angelic beings and on the other hand I would still have a lot more to say than what I’m writing here. I welcome the ones that come and visit me and share what I know with my girlfriends who are equally curious. To me angelic beings come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, wings or no wings, presenting themselves in the form that I need to see, hear or feel at that particular moment in time. Feel free to share with me your angel stories. Blessings and hugs, Mamie Lucie Recently, I was thinking of my success and achievements. Achievements and accomplishments are important, but they can take us only so far. In the end, what really matters - is what people remember us for, and how we value ourselves – it is all about the type of person we are and the type of role model we become. I think true role models are those who possess the qualities that we would like to have and those who have affected us in a way that makes us want to be better people. I believe that a person could have many role models in her life. Each role model has a different purpose: teaching a person something about themselves, something in which they excel, something in which they believe, something we would like to copy in ourselves. A role model to me is someone who not only treats me as an equal but is honest, trusting, and most of all open-minded especially in today’s society. We live in a society that really doesn't allow one to be different, to step out of the ranks. As young as a toddler, they put us in daycare, where we learn to eat, sleep, play and even go to the bathroom all at the same time, because we have to follow the schedule. We live in a society where it is more and more difficult to tell the truth, for fear of what others will say or think; fear of reprisal, fear of criticism... In my opinion, a good role model would DARE me to be different and encourage me to believe I can get to where he/she is.
I also believe people who are role models know that they are, whether they like it or not. It is their behavior that people look up to. It is their leadership qualities that others want to see and model. It is the smile that they give to others. It is the look we get when we do something they approve of. Something else I think about when looking for a role model is that it is not just someone who I look up to or is successful, but someone who has had to go through similar struggles and challenges as mine. I have always looked up to one of my aunts as a role model. To me she was the ideal mother, the perfect wife, the sweet grandma, the dazzling aunt and the ideal friend, not because she was perfect in all those various roles that life gave her, but because she made the best of it and she was not judgmental. I can tell her what I want and she will not judge me - she may not agree with what I do or say but she does not judge. My dad was an excellent role model who always pushed me to do more, to surpass myself and who encouraged me to do the best I could. Good role models can provide directions without seeming so...strict. You would be surprised if you found out how many people look up to you. Think about how many people in your own life who have inspired you to get to where you are today. By being a good role model, you can help others to achieve success in their own lives. |
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AuthorMamie Lucie, author of Just Us Girlfriends, will make you think, make you laugh, make you question and will challenge your way of thinking and being! Archives
August 2011
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