Awesomeness

You are a Badass Deck, by Jen Sincero — It’s time to get mighty clear about what makes you happy and what makes you feel the most alive, and then create it instead of pretending you can’t have it.

The cards in this deck were created from a book You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life.

“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” This saying is attributed to Abraham Lincoln and why not as he said some other important things too. I hung onto this saying when I heard it in my 20s. It is now over 150 years old and still applies to me today.

Happiness is a pretty abstract thing, but Abraham Lincoln simplifies it somewhat with this quote by explaining that a lot of our well-being comes from our attitudes. In a lot of ways, happiness is within our own power. Don’t get too hung up on being passed over for a promotion, for example, and be grateful for what you have, instead. Written by Matt OKeefe - Matt is a marketer and writer who shares about lifestyle and productivity tips on Lifehack.

For years I have heard others talk about having one door close and have another open that is better for them. We just don't know what is waiting for us and sometimes we hang on longer than we need to.

For me, it was important to let go of alcohol and drugs, of control and manipulation of dishonesty and fear. There have been other people, places, and things to let go of over time. It's okay as it has been better for me. NO regrets!

Other favorites from Lincoln include:

“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”

“As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.”

“The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.”

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

How wise many people are and how helpful some of their sayings are and have been in my life. The stories and sayings passed down over many hundreds of years are still being passed down in my Native American culture. So many have made such a difference in my life.

FIND A REPLACEMENT - Notice the verbiage that runs through your mind when you're being the most heinous to yourself and come up with a new-and-improved response. For example, if every time you look in the mirror, your first thought is yikes, make a conscious effort to change it to hi, gorgeous! Do not spend your life clinging to the insulting decisions you've made about yourself. Instead, make the conscious choice to replace them with new and improved ones. Jen Sincero

At my age, I have noticed gradual changes. Like this year it is crepey skin. I choose to remember my aunties great-grandchildren, and her great-great grandchildren playing with her sagging crepey skin and having so much fun with that.

I look forward to having great-great grandchildren play with my sagging crepey skin. And I was giving myself a hard time for discontinuing my weightlifting.

When I mentioned to my husband my crepey skin he showed me that in spite of his big muscles, he has crepey skin too. I felt better as now we can share our crepey skin as we grow old together.

I had said, how did we get so old? Then we both smiled and laughed and said it was better than the alternative. Look what life we would have missed out on. Then we talk about our children and grands, other family and friends.

My sister would always say, "Hey beautiful" to women around her and that included me. I wasn't in that habit before her death, so when I am thinking about her I include hey beautiful and hope that she hears me! It is still not something I say to others enough. My neice has followed in her mothers footsteps and says it with regularity. It always reminds me of my sister.

It's just as easy to believe we're awesome as it is to believe we're giant sucking things. Jen Sincero

Giant-sucking things, really Jen Sincero? I guess I never thought of myself or anyone else like that before. Getting that picture is not a good picture. It reminds me of my sponsor saying, "If you want to get rid of your jealousy and sarcasm, picture yourself as a green-eyed monster, tearing flesh!

That is as close as I have gotten to the giant-sucking thing. I had no trouble picturing that and asked to have that removed and it was! No more jealousy or sarcasm since about age 25. Lucky me that it worked.

Awesome, I don't know if I can jump from giant-sucking thing to awesome just like that. It may take a while. I know several people recently have been telling me how I don't look 70. I don't think that makes me awesome. Maybe my ancestry, my genes, my recovery?? Not smoking, drinking, using drugs is awesome. I didn't do it alone. I have had lots of help.

I am awesome due to the "We" program. Being honest, open-minded and willing to live a spiritual program. We don't have to be awesome alone or get there by ourselves!