Gilda Susan Radner (American Comedian and Actress; June 28th, 1946 ~ May 20th, 1989)
“I am convinced that we are our own best selves in comfort clothes. Somehow, through the alchemy of fiber and fit, we are once again restored to Paradise, this time not naked before the Great Creator, but revealing in the clothes She intended for us to wear.”
“The Simple Abundance path encourages us to be patient until we find what’s perfect for us, rather than continue to waste our money, energy, and emotion settling for second-best or the second-rate.”
“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-29-22)
1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower
“I love my comfortable clothes. I would stay in them all the time, but they would not reflect who I am entirely. They only represent one part of me.” (Heather Houston 3-29-22)
“On a pilgrimage to explore my roots and my instinct is to wear cultural clothing. I set out my clothes for my trip tomorrow and am excited to live into my whole day!” (Heather Houston 3-29-26)
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 97-98 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”
Judy Garland (American Actress and Singer; June 10th, 1922 ~ June 22nd, 1969)
“You see, whether we are consciously aware of it or not, we’re constantly programmed by the world to be other women, not ourselves. …With this pervasive social schizophrenia, it’s no wonder that most women are terribly confused about the issue of authenticity.”
“According to Webster’s Dictionary, to be authentic is to be ‘not imaginary, false or imitation.’ To be authentic is to be ‘genuine, veritable, bona fide, being actually and precisely what is claimed.’ The only thing that we can genuinely claim to be is ourselves. But our best is good enough, even on a bad day.”
“We are all hard on ourselves. We not only want to be other people, we want to be perfect versions of them.”
“We should only strive to be a first-rate version of ourselves. And our best is always good enough.”
“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-23-22)
1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower
“Where do we learn this odd behavior of trying to be someone we are not. We reach for the ideal of being someone other than ourselves. I have spent a lifetime trying to be someone…anyone other than myself. Makes me sad to think I never thought I was enough.” (Heather Houston 3-23-22)
“Growing up in a family of quilters, the below quote speaks volumes to being your authentic self and that perfection is ridiculous…” (Heather Houston 3-23-26
“…Amish quilters will deliberately add a mismatched patch to each quilt to remind themselves that only Spirit can create perfectly/”
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 89-90 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
Why Self-Confidence Can’t Be Bought but Can Be Borrowed
“I was thought to be ‘stuck up.’ I wasn’t. I was just sure of myself. This is and always has been an unforgivable quality to the unsure.”
Ruth Elizabeth “Bette” Davis (American Actress; April 5th, 1908 ~ October 6th, 1989)
“It would be wonderful if we could simply waltz up to a counter and purchase a bottle of self-confidence the way we can buy ‘revitalizing’ or ‘performance’ creams for our faces. Unfortunatey this spiritual elixir, like an expensive perfume, is different on every woman because of individual chemistry.”
“I act as if I’m self-confident and the world takes me as such.”
“When you’re unsure of yourself but life requires you to be otherwise, it is comforting to remember that you can always borrow a self-confident attitude from your authentic self. …Our subconscious mind cannot distinguish between what’s real and what’s imaginary (which is why creative visualization works). If we act as if we’re confident, we become so.”
“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (c, Diplomat, and Activist; October 11th, 1884 ~ November 7th, 1962)
“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-22-22)
1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower
“I love to borrow my self-confidence from my dominant side of my personality all of the time. BRILLIANT!” (Heather Houston 3-22-22)
“I am leaning into my self-confidence much more these days as I now live from my dominant self which is so authentic and natural for me. When I stay in the “sexy, hot, fun chic” arena, the world unfolds for me newly and powerfully.” (Heather Houston 3-22-26)
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 88-89 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
You Have a Unique Point of View: Loving Your Authenticity
“A sobering thought: what if, right at this very moment, I am living up to my full potential?”
Jane Wagner (American writer, Director and Producer; February 26th, 1935 ~ )
“One of the most important milestones we’ll hit along the way is the moment when we finally own our unique point of view and realize how priceless it is.”
“I’d gone through life believing in the strength and competence of others; never my own…Now, dazzled, I discovered that my capacities were real. It was like finding a fortune in the lining of an old coat.”
Joan Mills (Musical Artist; UNKNOWN)
“Today, or as soon as you can, indulge yourself with one of my favorite perk-ups. Get $25 from the bank in $5 notes and place then in the pockets of all your coats and jackets. Now forget about it. The next time you wear a coat and find $5, laugh and let it remind you that each day that you love, honor, and respect your own unique point of view, you’re a step closer to finding a fortune.”
“Now do one thing more. Start to treat yourself more generously. Begin with $5…Just do something out of the ordinary that you normally wouldn’t do that will lift your spirits.”
“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line…You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.”
Lucille Ball (American Actress, Comedian, and Producer; August 6th, 1911 ~ April 26th, 1989)
“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 2-13-22)
1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower
“Love myself ‘eh? Well that has been a battle my entire life.”
“My story began at 3-4 years of age at my maternal grandmother’s house. My parents were sitting on the blue couches holding my new baby brother and sharing newborn pictures of my brother and myself while surrounded by my maternal aunts and uncles. Somebody mentioned how cute my brother was and my parents beamed with pride. Someone said out loud, “He is a perfect Gerber Baby.” I knew who the Gerber Baby was from the baby food jars we had on hand. I thought how nice to know my brother is so cute. I was proud to be his big sister.”
“Then it happened…my parents said something like this…”It is amazing how he came out. Heather never looked like this. Frankly, when she was born, I thought she was a monkey. Covered in hair, wrinkled and curled up.” my dad stated. My mom piped in, “She had a pointy head.” I was shocked. My world seemed to melt away from me. What did they mean? I was a monkey…an ugly monkey? Not even human.”
“I immediately started to resent my brother fiercely. How dare he own all the beauty and affection? I was never the same after that day. My story was set…I knew I was ugly and repulsive…not enough. I felt shameful for existing and knew that being me was not enough. So, I knew had to be more then me…different. In my survival mode, I gravitated to perfectionistic behaviors in a way to clamor to be “SEEN”.”
“Alas, I spent most my life here and it led me down a very unhappy life path…sexual harassment, domineering abusive spouse, self-loathing, imposter syndrome on any achievement and low self worth. I fight every day to win the day over my story and find I still fail…even now almost 50-years since that day. My parents were young naive and learning to be parents. None of us as parents were given the parent manual…LOL! All of us as parents made mistakes…even me. I only hope my mistakes don’t plague and paralyze my children as much as my story has. I forgive my parents for their harsh statements as I know I can’t go back in time to change what I heard or wished someone noticed the pain on my face and showed me compassion. Instead, I was left to my own 3-4 year old mind devices, which led to me making meaning of the incident and creating a story. It is what it is.”
“But, I do wonder about that little girl…I wonder what her life might have been like if she loved and believed in herself. What might she had become? What might she be doing today? That is a fantasy and doesn’t exist. Claiming and owning my story by bringing it into the light allows it to be less powerful and affords me power to put it aside as not reality. I forgive myself also, I was just a 3-4 year old trying to make sense of a moment when I had little understanding of the grey parts of conversations and saw it only as black or white…good or bad…ugly or pretty. As such, my story latched onto this and filtered my entire life. I am trying to not live in my rearview mirror and live into the present by finding worth in myself now…newly. Pray for me to find my true love…of myself before I leave this dirtball. Thank you for listening.”
Gerber Baby
Heather Houston-DOB 3-30-68
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 47-48 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
My Distilled Life 