Independence [every] Day

Wishing you a sexy* 4th of July!

"Those American flag bikinis always look so trashy" -quote from your mother**

Decisions.  What to wear to the beach today. Which college to attend.  How you budget your money.  Kiss at the end of a date? Some decisions don't seem so important: How we cross the street. How we sign off on an email.  The way we hang a shirt on a hanger.  Do you ever wonder why you decide the way you do? Whose standards are you making decisions by?  Yours? Or the standards of someone else...

Think about this for a second.  Try to remember the last time you REALLY wanted to do something and then didn't do it.  Were you frustrated?  Were you doing everything except the one thing you wanted to do in order to distract yourself?  Did you feel like denying yourself was the right thing to do?  Who taught you that what you REALLY wanted to do was taboo?

Chances are there is someone in your life who indirectly made that decision for you. Think about the words you live by.  Statements that float in your brain like "There is not enough for everyone", or "This behavior is not lady like" Or "All the hangers have to be facing the same direction" (I swear I don't have hanger issues..)  were taught to you by others and you believed them.  Those words become part of the constitution that you subconsciously live by. 

But lets take the high road and NOT play the blame game. We all have a tendency to ask for advice, hear another person's story and model our actions after theirs, not realizing that they have completely different circumstances than ourselves. Its not their fault because you let them influence you.  Its not your fault either because you didn't know any better.  And, okay, not everything we hear from people is destructive.  I'm sure your grandma dropped a whole treasure chest of sweet grandma wisdom on you. The problems are the personal laws that you still defend although they cause you to make decisions that make you feel horrible.

Its all about honesty and setting your own standards.  Be honest like you are under the mother of all oaths and ask yourself:  Am I happy?  What would make me happy? Once you admit what you really want, you give yourself permission to go for it.  Its the first step to making new standards for yourself.  Your own laws for living.  A new constitution.  

Wave your flag, sexy*, because every day can be your independence day.   

**PS. Google images for American flag bikini and you'll find that while momma was partially right, some of those girls are rocking it!