96/365: My Big Girl Pants

Today I made:

a happy discovery in a stash of old family photos...
...and a new blog banner!

little me, circa 1984

This picture cracks me up! It inspired some new blog banner art and the silliest tag line I could think of. But I guess this is what it's all about around here- encouraging myself (and whoever else comes along) to be brave and step right on into those big kid pants, to face life head on and do whatever it takes to create our happiest possible existence.

I have to be honest though. Right now, this feels like putting on wet jeans on a cold day and having to rush out the door to tackle a to-do list that is bigger than me and a job that I don't feel equipped for. I have stepped right out of my comfort zone. But I'm beginning to understand that big dreams and lofty goals don't hang out in comfort zones. They skirt the edges of possibility. We have to march out there to get them.

So here I go...
Whining mode: off; lame excuse detector: on. Ear muffs ready for people who think they're allowed to decide what my life should look like. It's time to take this life more fully into my own hands, to create the artful life I've been dreaming of. And I know that if I want to be the creator I think I can be, I need to put on my big girl pants, lift my chin, take a deep breath and learn to deal with all these heavy feelings of responsibility, all the decisions, doubts and fears, the procrastination and lack of clarity. I'm the one who has to do it. Daunting as the task may be, this old photo helps me put a lighthearted spin on it. I'm wishing I could go back in time twenty-eight years and get some advice from that brave little girl I used to be. She would probably tell me that I don't need pants at all- just the right attitude and some chocolate ice cream.