We Accept The Love We Think We Deserve
And you deserve the best.
I wrote a fun little post based on a line from my all-time favorite movie, Perks Of Being a Wallflower. If you haven't seen it, watch it... or read it; since the film is based on a book.
The movie is profound. It touches on mental health, the idea of feeling like you don't fit in, domestic abuse, and other things I can't talk about without spoiling the book/movie.
I love the line when the main character is talking to his English teacher. The sage advice of "we accept the love we think we deserve," resonated with my fucking core when I first heard it.
What I know I deserve in love now is much different than what I believed I deserved before. You can read all about that here.
Happy Friday, ya'll.
We made it to the end of the week. Hopefully, you're not celebrating too much; at least not in that, I hate my job and live for the weekends sorta way. That's a sad way to live life. I hope that's not you.
This week's been filled with re-connecting with people, working on my media kit, writing articles, and makin' moves.
Oh, did I mention I'm going to be on the news on Monday? I'm going to be part of the "Style for Entrepreneurs" segment on Fox LA. This makes me giggle since technically, I'm one of the models.
I used to do a bit of promotional modeling back in the day. I even did a semi-salacious shoot; I'll add a photo below for sex appeal.
What's funny (but not so much) is that I starved myself for two days before this photoshoot. By the time the morning of the shoot came, I thought I was going to pass out. I figured I'd be okay if I just ate a granola bar, but boy was I wrong. I got the worse stomach cramps that I had to be carried down to the beach.
That was part of a series of very unfortunate events that led to a 4-year eating disorder.
Which brings me to another point: It's Mental Health Awareness Week!
THIS TOPIC IS SO NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART THAT I DECIDED TO ALL CAPS THE SENTENCE.
Did you know one in five adults struggle with mental health? One in FIVE. Think of you and four other friends. That means at least one of you is most likely struggling with some form of mental illness.
So why in the world is the topic so taboo? It's like periods.. half the population gets them, but god forbid I say the word "tampon" in public. But that's for another email. Let's focus on mental health.
The United States has a mental health epidemic, yet talking about our mental health is so taboo.
We need to change that, at least with the people closest to us. No more of this general "how are you?" bullshit. That basically equates to hello.
No, let's dig deeper. If you have a loved one that recently lost their job, check-in on them. If your friend's mother recently passed away, ask them how they're handling it. We need to stop tiptoeing around mental health. We need to dig a little deeper with those closest to us.
Because people who are suffering are scared to open up. The stigmas surrounding mental illness are so strong that it feels uncomfortable/intrusive to talk to other people about it. It's a vicious cycle of silence.
But no more. We can end that by focusing on those closest to us.
So reach out to someone you love and ask them more than just "how are you?"
Articles I wrote this week:
How To Experience Love When You Don’t Think You Deserve It
6 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Can Experience Life-Changing Growth
How To Stay Sane While Using Instagram
At 53, My Mom Found Her Family She Never Knew Existed
Articles I loved:
Yes, You Really Should Unfollow Celebrities On Social Media
Here’s How Talking About Mental Health At Work Can Reduce Burnout
Book Review:
This book is written by the CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh. Yes, the narrative focuses on Hsieh's climb to success in creating companies like Zappos. But the message I loved in it is the importance of really connecting with people.
Zappos is famous for its company culture and valuing their employees. Their benefits package and resources to help train their employees are out of this world.
Not to mention, their top priority is their customers.
I'm not looking to start a business anytime soon. But the key concepts I took from this book apply to any interactions with people that you have. We underestimate how much people want to connect on a personal level. Even though we're all connected on social media, it's often superficial.
Hsieh challenged the idea of forgoing, focusing on profits in favor of top customer service and employee benefits. He describes how the latter brought the company great success, which included an acquisition by Amazon.
Hsieh is also a straightforward kind of guy. His narration is to the point and made even better through storytelling. Hsieh is the CEO of a company that sold for $1.2 billion, but he narrates like he's a friend.
I’d love to hear what you think about my newsletter. Feel free to respond with any thoughts or questions; I’d love to chat.
Until next time.
All the love,
Kirstie