Happy Holidays

I would like to wish everyone who visits and reads Smoke & Ochre a fabulous and happy holiday season and everything of the best for the New Year. Thanks for the comments, emails and support I've received this past year. You have made me happy!

This post is my Christmas "gift" to you all - although it may seem a bit strange, and cliched,and off topic, it's meant from my heart. I'm writing this from my perspective and experience. I find that in my life, and most of my friends, we are often too hard on ourselves. While we try to be kind and accomodating to those around us, we are unkind to ourselves, we put ourselves down, we lack confidence in our abilities, we ignore our inner intuition. We try and live up to to an unrealistic ideal of perfection and an idea of what perfect beauty is. We compare ourselves unfavourably with all the beautiful people in magazines and on TV and we feel inadequate.

This is what I wish for myself in 2008, and what I wish for all of you (if it applies).

To believe in myself more
To stop being afraid and go for my dreams and believe I can do it
To stop putting myself down
To be a little more daring and take more chances
To embrace myself and hold myself with warmth, love and kindness
To be present and real and loving in all my important relationships, but without letting anyone walk all over me or take advantage of me in a way I'm not comfortable with.
To be honest with myself about my feelings
To express how I feel to others in a constructive way
To be grateful for my blessings and all the good stuff in my life.

To put things in their proper perspective and keep it real.

I wish for all of you a New Year of new beginnings and positive, hopeful energy.

(Christmas pic from Flickr, celeb pics from Celebrity Desktop)