Permission

"When we give ourselves permission to be and feel everything we are -- monstrous, large, loud, brazen, occasionally ugly -- we age backward."

- From Elle Magazine 2011

Good Enough

"I guess when all is said and done, you are who you are, and that should be good enough for everybody else."

-Susan Tamol

Confidence

"There will always be people who don't like my stand-up, just like there will always be men who don't want to date me. People have different tastes. But everyone is drawn to confidence, if it's real. So in the same fashion I deliver my jokes, I introduce myself to a guy. I am unapologetic and confident. If it doesn't work out? Next! Why judge yourself?

I'm not a traffic stopping model or the smartest person in the room. The more your get to know me, the prettier I become... My real beauty lies in my humor, strength, the kind of sister, daughter, and friend I am. But more than anything, it lies in my ability to truly not give a shit what anyone thinks of me. Because I know what I think."

- Comedian Amy Schumer, Cosmopolitan Magazine, March 2011

Judging

"I asked my heart if it could please infuse my soul with a more generous perspective on my mind's workings. Instead of thinking that I was a failure, could I perhaps accept that I am only a human being- and a normal one, at that? The thoughts cam up as usual- OK, so it will be- and then the attendant emotions rose, too. I began feeling frustrated and judgmental about myself, lonely and angry. But then a fierce response boiled up from somewhere in the deepest caverns of my heart, and I told myself, "I will not judge you for these thoughts."

From Eat, Pray, Love

Gravity

Set me free, leave me be
I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity.
Here I am and I stand so tall
I'm just the way I'm supposed to be
But you're on to me and all over me.

- Sara Bareilles, "Gravity"

You Deserve the Best

"You deserve the best in life
So if the time isn't right then move on
Second best is never enough
You'll do much better baby on your own."

- Madonna, "Express Yourself"

Phenomenal

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I'm telling lies.

I say,

It's in the reach of my arms

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman,

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

- "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou

Nobody

"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent."

~Eleanor Roosevelt

Yourself

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Be Who You Are

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

~Dr. Seuss

That's Cool

knowing where you're going
embracing where you've been
being criticized for standing strong
in battle you cant win
living in a moment you may never see again
let your heart break some rules,
now that's cool

~blue county

Responsibility

Don't rely on someone else for your happiness and self worth. Only you can be responsible for that. If you can't love and respect yourself - no one else will be able to make that happen. Accept who you are - completely; the good and the bad - and make changes as YOU see fit - not because you think someone else wants you to be different.

~Anonymous