Super Hero Sunday ~ We are Strong, Not Indestructible

Whether we like to admit it or not, we’re all human. We do not come from some faraway planet, making our physical makeup stronger than the average human. We have our limits. The trick is knowing where our boundaries lay and how far beyond them, we can stretch without doing any permanent damage.

We have hope for all people, especially when they make a misstep. We send them love and prayers, hoping they will come to their senses and turn away from the shadows they find themselves cloaked in. In truth, it rarely happens to those who bask in the worlds glow. The notoriety and fame become a heavy burden to bear.

“With great power comes great responsibility.” This infamous line from Spiderman works on so many levels and is a saying we should all take to heart. As strong women, we do have a responsibility to ourselves as well as the people in our lives.  It is beautiful to be strong, but strength can also be our biggest weakness. 

When we find ourselves using alternative means to keep up our granite mask, we must, for the sake of our own sanity, step back, and reevaluate our intentions.  In every superhero tale, there is a pivotal moment when the hero can cheat and take the easy way out, to stop the bleeding without repairing the wound. As we all know, stopping the bleeding does not cure the patient, it just extends their lives for a time. As I said, we are strong, not indestructible. We can be wounded and take a lot from time to time. As the people we are, we many times find it necessary to hide our weaknesses. Something inside tells us we cannot have cracks in the armor, or show any kind of weakness once we have established ourselves as a superwoman.

Screw that—to be blunt—there is NOTHING worth your mental or physical health. Taking that path, using the easy way out, is the path to the dark side. It is a one way street to the hall of doom with little means to indeed turn back. You may seem incredible at first, but then that crack you were trying to conceal becomes an ugly scar that grows bigger and bigger, eventually revealing the darkness you have taken into your soul.

Am I melodramatic? Probably. All I know is I never ever want anyone to feel pity for me, I never want to be known as the fallen hero. I do not want my obituary to be, “Sad, but not unexpected.” We all make mistakes. We all stumble. It is a part of life people, it’s unavoidable, even for superheroes.  It is what makes us the people we are. It is part of the profile. We take our hits and battle on. We overcome the obstacles in our lives with time, grace, and honor. We must first and foremost be heroes to ourselves before we can be a hero to anyone else. We must be able to look in the mirror and be proud of what we see. If you take a misstep, you can recover. You can rebuild the trust you have broken. It is an ambiguous stance to take. It is a hard life to lead, but it is the price we pay for being our own heroes, and we are the ones who ultimately benefit in the end.

It takes more strength to ask for help than it does to stand alone….

Come Find Me!

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Super Hero Sunday! ~ What is Your Super Hero Code?

Every Super Hero has a moment when the tide turns in their favor, the story climaxes all of the pieces fit into place and the circle is complete. Usually this is when they set their sights on righting the wrongs and stopping the villain once and for all. Then they get this look, the -- okay, you want to play, let’s go, bring it on! In this moment, they know, you know, and the villain probably has an inkling as well, the hero is going to win and there is nothing you can do to stop him.

"Tell Me No, I Dare You", is my way of laying a challenge out to all those who will oppose me. I have my dreams, aspirations, motivators and or goals. There will be obstacles in achieving them, but I will prevail and I will do it using all of the weapons in my arsenal. 

Warning though, don’t become too cocky with your superpowers, always play to win.

Confidence is the key, and part of that confidence is knowing your personal code, aka your Super Hero code.  A personal code, to me, is a list of parameters you will live within, strive for and even defend. The outline of who you want to be, to yourself and those around you.

The revelation of my personal code came when I read a fabulous book, “Guts!: Companies that Blow the Doors off Business-as-usual”. First, love the title because it sums up the requirement for anything you want in life. It is all there for the taking, you just have to have the guts to go for it! My hope is to help you discover your superpower-- and you do have one-- and empower you with the guts to go after everything you want.  I have my code tacked to my bulletin board at work and I find myself looking at more often than naught. It reminds me of who I am, what I am about, and how powerful I am. I like to think my heroes live by the same code and I am probably right.

• Stand up and people will stand with you
• If you messed up, fess up
• The answer isn’t “I don’t know”, it is “I will find out”
• Admit you will never know it all, there is always something to be learned
• The only constant is change
• Your gut is never wrong
• To cut a corner is to lose the journey
• Do it right, or don’t do it
• Coincidence is denial, not an exception
• What you push out always comes back to shove you

So now I have an assignment for you, what is your code? List out the things you live by, and for, every day. Now take a moment to think about what each of these statements means to you.  Life experience makes the meaning different for each individual. The meanings will also change with age. A statement may mean something to you now, and have a different meaning later on in your life.

Now take each of these statements and change them into an "I Will."

Like this, 

• I will fight for what I believe in
• I will admit my mistakes, and learn from them
• I will strive to know the answers
• I will always embrace a different point of view
• I will strive to adapt
• I will trust myself
• I will accept every challenge with open arms
• I will never accept less than my best from myself
• I will get up when I fall
• I will always deliver results with honesty, integrity and confidence

Every hero survives because of a core strength built on a personal code, like the one we just did. The code lay close to their heart and are what guide them, protect them and in the end save them. Read what you wrote. How amazing are you? These are the reasons you are strong, these are the reasons you will survive no matter what. These are the reasons you can look a challenge in the eye and say "Bring on your worst!"

Come Find Me!

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Super Hero Sunday! ~ Armor of the Goddess - Red Heels

Undeniably, the color red is a sign of strength and power, the clout seekers of the world wear it like a uniform, and the most influential countries have it as part of their flags. It is known as the power tie, and a universal statement of, “don’t mess with me, you will regret it.”

Great leaders of the world wore red when making some of the most infamous speeches in history. There have been many songs have been written about its luster, and the color has been symbolized and condemned in the same thought.

After much thought on the iconic symbol of unforgettable women and all super-women I have decided red heels are the winner. Superman has his red cape, Superwoman has her red heels.

Have you ever watched a woman try on a pair of red shoes? There is a shy smile, a twinkle in her eye, and many times her cheeks will blush in embarrassment. Every woman on the planet owns a pair of red heels, and if they don't, it's because they haven’t found the perfect pair yet. Oh yes, you will find them in every closet, of course they may be hidden in the back corner, but they are there, waiting to be worn. There is no understating the confidence it takes to wear them either. We want to be able to back up the statement they send and some of us are not quite there yet.

For those of you who do not know what I am talking about, to wear a pair of red heels, even in the privacy of your own bedroom, is like an adrenaline shot to the heart. They exude power, confidence, sexual prowess, and most importantly--the armor it takes to be unstoppable.
Many will think that I am staking too much on a pair of shoes, that it is just a symbol of a confident woman with a sense of style. Oh no it is much, much more than that. There is a reason women do not wear red heels, and there is a reason they do.

Red heels are scary. If you wear them, people will notice, people will look, and you will attract attention. Self doubt closes in and suffocates those who are just not ready for that kind of exposure. So the heels sit at the back of the closet waiting for their time in the spotlight. It will come, someday, we just have to be ready for it.

The power of the red heel is not something to be trifled with, it is a double edged sword. The red heel definitely obtains the spotlight, but there are always critics who will not approve of the choice. We know as women we must be prepared for both, and in reverence to the red heel we must be strong and gorgeous or the magic disappears.

Wow Amy, you are going way overboard on this whole red heel thing…

Am I? Ask yourself, when was the last time you wore your pair of red heels, and how did you feel when you did, and why haven’t you donned your red heels lately?

The truth is red heels--your red heels, speak volumes about who you are as a woman, your strength, your passion, your fire. When you wear red you feel confident and in control. Wearing red brings excitement into your day. It is the color of stimulation, showing a sense of exhilaration, but also suggesting a demanding character. You are amazing and the red heels make sure everyone knows it! So pull them out of the closet, put them on, and prance around the living room, wear them to lunch, or pull them out for some fun in the bedroom.

They, my dears, are one of your many secret weapons, use them wisely and knock the world back a few notches! You are sexy, you are strong, YOU are unstoppable!

Come Find Me!

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