...and who are YOU?

It's an amazing thing.  There is this little quote that I hear people use from time to time..."you know me better than I know myself."  It kind of bothered me so I spent some time thinking about it and I came to the conclusion, that no, no-one knows you better than you know yourself. 

You know that voice in your head?  Yes that one.  The one that talks to you... all the time?  That voice is yours!  That voice inside your head has really been listening and absorbing since day one; to every sound, taste, touch, smell and every sight both externally and internally.  That voice in your head has taken all that information processed it, sorted it with other information and formed ideas and opinions about it.  All of those things and the choices you make because of them help define you.  That voice in your head can be, at any moment, a catalyst or a saboteur among other things. 

My opinion of you (and that is all it will ever be) is just my opinion of you.  It's not the REAL you.  It's just my spin on you... my perception of you, my belief about you based on what you or others have said about you.  AND my beliefs about myself I've reflected on you.  Hmmm...take some time to think about that because I believe there is a great deal of freedom in understanding this.

Truth be told, those things we don't like about us (or we don't think are acceptable to others), we hide. But usually we are only hiding them from ourselves.  Want to know a little secret about that?  Pssst...they may still be in plain sight for others to see!  I know, you're thinking YIKES!  It's not that we don't know those things about ourselves; we just choose to hide them from ourselves and attempt to hide them from others by putting them in a place we believe that they can't be seen.  Inside.  But yes, they are still there.  I've been told that this is called our "blind spot".  Don't worry!  It's okay, apparently we all have them.  If you are willing to truly be you, you acknowledge this.  And on occasion "boldly go" and take a look at some of those hidden things to accept them, change them, change your attitude about them, or get rid of them completely, forgiving them.  Simple as that.  But most important is that you acknowledge them and give yourself permission to choose whether someone else's perception or opinion about you is important or not.  Is it something you want to change or need to change?  Then you can decide whether or not to act upon it.  Whether to hide it or release it.  It's your choice.


Thanks for letting me share that with you!

And, speaking of hiding...I'd like to welcome you to my favorite hiding place.  This is StudioV.  This is where the business me temporarily casts aside it's type A personality and becomes the artist and creator me.  This is where my bliss happens.  I sit down at this bench, sometime with an idea, sometimes not.  And suddenly it just gushes out.  Stones and beads of all colors come together.  With metals clashing and dancing; pieces of this and that coming to form. Yes, definitely creating little expressions of me in these pieces and sometimes including little expressions of you, too. 

Hey!  Thanks for stopping by and thank you for being you!  ;-D

Feel free to visit my website www.SunshineJewels.com, my Artfire shop http://www.artfire.com/users/SunshineJewels (links are also right there to your right) and my facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SunshineJewels/212956651296 to see what comes out of the other side of StudioV! 

Who are you Miss Vickie Barber-Ellis?

I was asked this question recently and thought well, that's my sign that it's finally time I get that blog page going!  So, what was the answer?

Well, I'm a friend, lover, mother, grandmother and so much more...yes, so.much.more.

I'm just me, being the best me that I can be.  I'm "different" to some people, quite ordinary to others.  I have one of those unique personalities that lends itself to people either loving me, or well...not.  And, I'm okay with that.

You see, I understand the importance of being yourself.  There were a few (thank heaven only a few) of my 50 (and a little plus) years where my life was about being what others wanted me to be, or what I perceived they wanted me to be, instead of simply being myself.  How utterly exhausting!  And, how utterly ridiculous!   Let me tell you some of what I learned...

1. I cannot make anyone happy.  Only they can make themselves happy.  Only you can make you happy.  Only I can make me happy.  I cannot make anyone, including myself, happy by being something or someone else other than what and who I am.
2. I decide.  This was one of the most powerful things I learned.  Those two simple words that can be the most powerful words in your daily language (spoken and unspoken).  I decide that I will be happy.  I decide that I won't be taken advantage of.  I decide that it's okay not to be like everyone else.  And, I decide its okay not to be liked by everyone else.
3. I can.  I can love. I can be loved. I can forgive. I can do it.
4. I always have choices.  Notice I didn't say 'a' choice?  I have choices.  There is never a time where you do not have multiple choices.  Ever.  You and your ego may think that is the case, but it never is.  There are just some choices that are not as good, or as comfortable, or easy as others.  You can choose to do something or not to do something...see?  Choose to accept it, or not. Choose to believe it, or not. Choose to indulge it or not.  I believe whole heartedly that you always have at least two choices. To do or not to do. To be or not to be.  And speaking of be...
5. Be.  Just be.  Be in love with yourself.  Be in love with life.  Be in the moment, the now.  Be quiet.  Be still.  Taking moments to 'Be' have become more important now than ever before.  We have become a society consumed by doing instead of being.  Not that we shouldn't be doing anything.  Quite the contrary.  Doing is also critically important.  It's just that I have found that taking moments to just "Be" have helped me make better decisions, better choices.  These moments have helped me "Be" a better me.  They can help you be Be a better you, too!

Welcome to just a brief glimpse of who I am.  There will be more to come, but in the meantime, may you find Joy...and Love...and may you find Peace in being just who You are.