I have heard people who take selfies referred to as narcissists. I have heard that moms who take selfies with their kids because their husband doesn't take enough pictures and it is the only way they know to capture an image with their children. A memory. While the second theory is likely a part of this for me (though I have not a husband), the first is pretty far from who I am and who I strive to be.Let me share with you why I take selfies and why I think you should too.
There are days I like my make-up (which I rarely, every rarely actually wear). Th
ere are days I like my outfit. There are days I like lighting. There are days I like a lot of different physical things. But those are rarely why I actually snap the selfie. 99% of the time, I opt to take a selfie because of how I feel in the moment. I want to capture a feeling. A memory. A physical representation of something far deeper than anything you may even see. When I choose to actually share that selfie, it's because something in that moment is important enough to me to share with you, my friends, my family, my world.
Yesterday, I was disappointed with how I looked. I caught myself caught up in negative "Self-talk." I even made up a ridiculous song expressing my disappointment with how I looked. My six-year-old Miss Hollywood caught me in this awful moment. She told me not to talk to myself the way I was. She told me to knock it off. And I did. Immediately. I want my children to practice positive self-talk. I want my children to be proud of who they are and how they look. Every.Single.Day. And so, I grabbed my phone and I snapped a selfie.For many years, I lived a life where I rarely heard positive things about how I looked and rarely experienced positive reinforcement with choices I made. That sucked. I learned, though, that I was the only person I could count on and count on myself I would. Emerging from that, I learned that no one could fully love me if I d
id not first fully love myself. (This does not include family such as parents, etc., obviously) I realized that I wanted my children to love themselves and I can demonstrate that by loving myself.
So, I started snapping more and more selfies. I like who I am. I like who I have be
come. I like the adventures we have as a family. I like memories shared with my children. I like how I feel in certain moments and the moments I capture in which I don't actually like how I feel are just as important. This is my journey. I need to capturre this journey to look back on and grow on and share with my children later.I will capture how I feel preparing for a big event. I will capture how I feel at a Giants game with my kids. I will capture ho I feel in moment of pure awesomeness. I will capture how I feel in a moment of defeat. I will capture how I feel drenched in the rain and standing in my parents' bathroom on a random Sunday afternoon. I will capture real and forced smiles. I will capture humor, sadness, and silliness. I will capture as much of this amazing life as a I can. Because I can. Because each moment is important.
And, you can and should do. Be proud of who you are and from whence you came. Be in the moment. Capture the moment. Be fearless. Be fabulous. Take the selfie without apology. Share it when you need.
