5 Ways to Have a Totally Bitchin’ 2018

I feel pretty confident in saying that 2017 was the Year of Women. This was a no bulls**t type of year. This year, women took a stand, spoke their truths, and made impacts in various social, political, and intellectual areas. 2018 is already proving to keep rolling right along for us badass mamas. I’m sure by now we all have seen the Golden Globe speeches and, if not, google it now! I mean, Oprah’s speech? Can I get an amen?!

I know our journey as women of the world will be long and riddled with obstacles in the years that follow. I believe that movements and sociopolitical change, like what we have witnessed in the last year, would not have happened without a whole lot of confident, self-accepting women, who came together to speak their truths.   

With that in mind, let us focus on a few things to keep us women headed in the right direction this year.

Here's an awesome list of 5 things we can put into practice, to ensure we have a totally bitchin’ 2018:

1. Be Nice to Yourself

Say what?! I know. Easier said than done, right? But I'm going to be firm on this one. For too long, we women have built others up while simultaneously, tearing ourselves down. Being kind to yourself is the hardest suggestion to put into practice and the most important. Building a confident-self and achieving acceptance and compassion for the phenomenal creature that is you, is not an easy objective. There are no shortcuts. But, to begin in the right direction, start each morning by telling yourself one thing you love about YOU. It helps to look in a mirror while doing this. Next try to block negative feelings and thoughts you have toward yourself as soon as they enter your brain. If you are about to call yourself stupid or fat, stop right away and try to really practice mindful self-love; replace those negatives with a positive. If you wouln't say it to a friend, don't say it about yourself.

As Sarah Silverman tells her friends anytime they say something bad about themselves, "why would you say that about my friend?".

2. Surround Yourself with Badass Women

I'm not implying you go out and get a Harley and only hang out with biker babes. But I wouldn't judge you if you did 'cause biker babes are pretty badass and if they share in your core beliefs, that's where it's at. What I mean is, make sure you surround yourself with women who know their worth, who strive for greatness, who will collaborate with you on creative endeavors, who share your pursuit of passion, and who generally, know what it means to live a full life. That's badass.  Try joining workshops, book clubs, writing clubs, pottery classes, or take dance lessons. Just get out their and meet some rad chicks. If your town doesn't offer activities you enjoy, create your own group or workshop and mindfully attract the right people to you.

3. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

We need to go into this new year with our heads held high. We need to say, “here I am, world! I’ve got something to offer”. We cannot do that if we are still comparing ourselves to other women. Your body, your career, and your choices are your own. You need to own them and embrace them. When we compare ourselves to other women we are saying that we are not enough, that the grass is greener over there, that those other women have something we need. I implore you all to give comparison a rest this year. Start focusing on improving yourself for you. Set goals only you want to reach. Individuality is what will set you apart and give your life a purpose. The world does not need you to be like everyone else. Stand out from the crowd and embrace your uniqueness. Stop comparing with other women and start collaborating with them instead.

Treat yourself the way you want to be treated. See yourself the way you want to be seen.

4. Accept Compliments

This goes back to number one on our list: be nice to yourself. Part of being kind to ourselves is allowing others to be kind to us as well. The next time someone tells you that you did good on an assignment or that you look particularly lovely that day, don’t respond with a put-down. Instead of saying, “I could have done better” or “I didn’t even have time to do my makeup today”, simply say, “thank you, I appreciate that”. Then, take a deep breath and take that in. Hold onto that positive energy and store it up in your confidence reserve. We need to learn to start accepting that we are good, smart, pretty, funny, or kind.  When people are paying you a compliment, they are reflecting what they see back at you like a mirror. Accept the fact that they see something worthy of praise. Don’t let the fear of being narcissistic and egocentric get in the way of accepting a kind word from another. Like I said before, we build others up all the time...take the compliment, dammit!

5. Speak Your Truth

I feel like I could lead a congregation here at this point. Can I get another amen?! Every time I hear a women speaking her truth, I’m usually raising my hands to the sky and shouting, “preach, girl. Preach!” When we share our experiences with others we become storytellers. When we share our struggles, our journeys, our knowledge, and our convictions we are giving power to ourselves and others who are listening. We connect to people we never knew and open doors full of endless possibility. It can be downright terrifying at first to put yourself out their, exposed to the world, but you never know who may have a shared experience or similar story to tell and may have been too afraid to stand up and tell it. By telling your truth, you are empowering not only yourself, but you are empowering others to do the same. There is much strength in truth, and in numbers. We all have stories. We all have truths. What’s your truth? Go tell it.

Now, go and grab 2018 by the ... horns!

We are in the process of creating a small, half day workshop to learn how to cultivate our confident selves! We are looking at dates in March, 2018 and would love to see all of you there!

Stay tuned for details!

And until then...

• you are smart

• you are worthy

• you are beautiful

• you are enough