Getting up at 5:20 in the morning is getting easier. 

Kickboxing — done.  I am waiting for my 9:00 a.m. so thought I’d take a quick minute to share an observation from the gym today.  While getting ready for work, I caught some of a conversation from a couple of friends…

It went something like this… “George was really able to help me with some breathing exercises and just reminding me to not be so hard on myself…” And that’s where I stopped. Dead. In. Tracks.  And realized…. Everyone has ONE. For much longer than I’ve realized, I thought alone on the isle of Liz lived the mean girl.  And surely, she is so exclusively mine. Imagined myself alone in the wallow of insecurity, not being good enough, smart enough, lovable enough. Today I learned it’s not just me. 

If I am being honest, I’ll tell you I found this, in some way, comforting and filled me with a sense of relief.  It’s not just me who has this perpetual incessant chatter in the head, filling me with things that are just not helpful.  I also found myself a little disappointed.  How can I find comfort in knowing that another woman out there — maybe a million other women, are having and sharing this same struggle?

Our get ready for work preparations continued, realizing some of us have the mean girl desperately needing to be put in to check, and maybe some of us have an inner mean girl just waiting to help us — set boundaries, say NO, put us FIRST, be unapologetic about who we are and where we fit in the world.  I watched one of my classmates this morning and could see in her, the very same things I see in me — and so casually I mentioned… YOU look lovely, try, though I know it’s hard, not to obsess about how your dress fits, what your hair looks like — if a full face of cosmetics if overwhelming, try just a dab of gloss or simply own your beautiful face, just as you are!

The work on the internal chatter continues… and while we’re talking about the internal chatter… have you ever noticed that it just doesn’t SHUT UP? — Courtesy of my book… and thanks Peter.  The inner voice keeps going, simply to be heard — some crazy notion that some crazy voice talking to you — in your head has the need to be heard, but not the right.  Turn it off!

Tomorrow we start again.  6:30. Sharp.

Quiet the mind… slow the chatter, turn down the volume and do YOU!