Yo G, I’m proud of you – Thoughts on turning 25
Since In it 4 the Long Run’s inception back in July 2013, I’ve enjoyed reflecting and celebrating my blog and my birthday (also known as the “blirthday”… it hasn’t caught on).
If I had to sum up 24-year-old Georgie’s M.O. it would be “own your shit.” Last year I owned the really hard awful shit, the amazing “how is this my life” shit, and all my own deep seeded shit that has a funny way of showing it’s face till you own it.
Today I wanted to own that owning, in a segment I like to call “Yo G(a nickname of mine), I’m proud of you.” I’ve come to understand that when we can own the good, we can more easily own the bad.
To be totally honest, this post is really hard for me. It’s hard to own my shit even if that was the theme of last year. It’s hard to say “hey I did this and I’m proud of it.” Because you know what that really means? It means opening yourself up to criticism and disappointment. If you boldly stake your claim and stand for who you are and why you love it, someone can then tear you down. No owning = no tearing down. That fear of being proud, or really of disappointment has stopped me from so many things. And it’s definitely stopped me from vocally appreciating what I’ve done or even acknowledging it.
However I’ve realized there’s a flip side. Because when you don’t own your good shit it’s a lot harder to own your bad shit. And when you don’t, you can’t move through it and past it. It just all clogs up there on ya. And we all know nobody wants a clog-age situation.
When we’re not afraid to be proud of ourselves, we’re not so afraid to be disappointed, too. When we’re not so afraid, or rather when we can face those fears, we move through the good and bad like the complicated, confusing, wonderful badasses we are.
So here it is, G, I’m proud of you
Yo G, I’m proud of you:
- You trusted your gut and you switched gears with your blog and business knowing it would come with challenges, rewards, regrets and joys.
- You faced a ton of fears around honesty, people pleasing and all that hard shit. Growth hurts (so good).
- You traveled to London and you were honest with yourself when it wasn’t always rainbows.
- You listened to your heart instead of your ego, even when you knew you could be hurt. Love is awesome and scary, proud of you for going for it anyway.
- You created boundaries with people, with work, with yourself.
- You treated your one and only body with kindness and compassion. Isn’t life better this way?
- You started a fucking podcast. Get it gurl.
- You got that tattoo and it’s way more beautiful than you had hoped.
- You introduce yourself as a blogger and photographer even though it’s scary and you have imposter syndrome big time.
- You went to therapy. Worth every damn penny.
As I’ve only completed a quarter of a century, I’m far from an expert on getting older. I did have one of those “oh shit I’m not 21 anymore” moments, and after that subsided I realized how amazing it is to get older. I see how much growth comes every year, and I gotta say, bring it on.
A Couple Goals for 25-year-old G
- Accept compliments and criticism with grace, knowing that both are often a far deeper reflection of the other person
- Have fun with fashion again
- Don’t forget to nurture your hobbies outside your work
- Stop interrupting people when they’re talk (I know you’re just excited – it’s super annoying and you hate it too)
- Trust yourself, even when you don’t have the logical evidence yet
- Invest in your friendships
- Get off your phone, dammit
- Be thoughtful
Your Turn
- What’s something your proud of about YOU?
Aww I love this idea of reflecting on your birthday versus at the start of a new year!! Also super great goals for the next year!! Keep being you ?
Happy Birthday! Love this post and the format, lots to be proud of.
For me, I’m most proud of putting myself out there in situations I would’ve shied away from previously. Sometimes the hardest part is just putting yourself out there.
Happy Birthday! You DO have a lot to be proud of! Keep being Georgie!
There is just so much I love about this post. Happy Blirthday Georgie!
I started training for an internship this week. This is my last phase of grad school, so it’s the year where I apply what I’ve learned into practice. I’m proud of myself for staying true to my nature during this training week; the field of education can be so outgoing and extroverted, and that’s just not who I am. I think I did well with speaking in my normal tone of voice most of the time (not trying to be bubbly), going beyond small talk with the people I conversed with, and projecting my humility and eagerness to learn.
This is a lovely post and I can see how it was tough to write. Props to you. I’m proud of myself for making a decision you actually helped me make – the one where I want to pack up my life and move to the rocky mountains Colorado, something I’ve been wanting to do since I was 16. The money is saved, I bought a car, I booked a plane ticket to find an apartment in a few weeks and I’m ready to go.
Thanks again for being literally the one person I could touch base with that had any idea what I was going through and for sharing insight, your time and a quote with me. I’m moving in 9 weeks!
This is amazing <3 HAPPY BIRTHDAY! and thanks for sharing your insights, your struggles, your triumphs. Makes it easier for everyone to do the same. xx
Happy Birthday, girl!!! Thanks for sharing your successes and accomplishments because I KNOW how uncomfortable that can be!! But you’re rocking it!
Thankful God put you on this earth Georgie; I LOVE that you were able to experience so much this year, learn about stopping to see the beautiful things, start a podcast that has helped so many, and I hope you have so many more birthdays!
Your posts are sometimes geared towards a specific gender and I really resonated with a lot of what I read above for example, interrupting people when overly excited (haha) and trusting yourself… There is a ton it has made me think about and want to work on myself! thanks for speaking out loud and sharing G, really grateful. Would love to know how you check back in on these thing regularly to make sure your always heading towards your goal? See you soon
Sounds like I have some of the same struggles as you. Introducing myself as anything but an attorney feels so strange to me… “You make money blogging/writing? How is that a real job??” Ugh… I have imposter syndrome big time. And learning to love my body sucks!! Too many changes, nutritional challenges, and injuries make figuring out how to nourish it in a sustainable manner so darn challenging. I love your honestly on the topic!! Also, loved your doctor’s office piece. I struggle-bus big time with doctors. FINALLY finding one who HEARS you is like the heavens opening up!