I had two different ladies in their 70s comment on my “orthopedic” sandals within the first 24 hours of having them. Yes, they both used that word to describe them.
In the past, this would have absolutely crushed my confidence, and prevented me from ever wearing these again (it would have been a fight for me to even *maybe* wear them out to get the mail).
So it was fun for me to have the revelation that their (meant-to-be-sweet, but clumsily delivered) comments didn’t phase me at all.
In fact, I was charmed by them, and figured they helped me connect with a different generation in a new way ?
These sandals are not only comfortable, and cute (at least to me), but now they hold a sweet reminder of what I’ve overcome.
My past was riddled with letting other people ruin my day – giving everyone else complete control over MY attitude, MY perspective, and MY mood.
You may have even heard me relate my years of depression to people pleasing. In my frustrating attempts at pleasing others, and living up to what I thought their perception of me was, or who I thought they wanted me to be, I completely lost the identity that God gave me.
This led to an endless cycle of trying (and failing) to live up to the false expectations that I had put on myself, based on never-actually-expressed “expectations” from others.
Amazing the corners we can back ourselves into, with literally zero help from anyone else. All of the heaviness was brought on by me – my decisions, my thoughts, and my actions.
One big thing that helped me live in freedom was realizing that I was the one who controlled my own attitude, regardless of what others did or said about me, to me, or around me.
And learning that came through setting boundaries, and no longer allowing other people’s actions or words to influence my mood, and ultimately my life.
Of course, this took practice, and I’m certainly not perfect at it, but it’s so much easier for me to let things roll off my back than it used to be, and I want that for you, too!!
If you need help with boundaries (we all typically do in at least one area), then you’ll hugely benefit from the replay of my Boundaries workshop on that exact thing: https://abundantwife.gumroad.com/l/boundaries-bundle
You’ll walk away with practical tips to start setting boundaries across your life, and that’s going to bring a breath of freedom to you!
Enjoy!
