I've spent some time going through old photos and memorabilia items. Some of them I had completely forgotten about, some made me smile, while others made me teary-eyed. Some other things in the storage held no significance in my life and made me wonder why I kept them in the first place, so it was easy for me to let go of those things.
That picture above was a candid shot taken by the resort photographer while I was on duty 20 years ago. When I look at that photo, it seems like a lifetime ago, based on the fact that my life is so different now. However, that particular day that the photo was taken, has memories of an event that I look back at as a defining moment in my life, when I was fully self-aware of who I am and what taking responsibility and facing the music meant.
(I've written about "a little scenario" in this post of coincidentally wearing my bright orange jacket at the least ideal of times if anyone cares to read it).
My former career and work life helped me to form lifelong habits, develop values, and apply principles, which I've used positively across different aspects of my life.
Back then, despite much personal growth and advancement I had made throughout my career, there was always a sense of emptiness. I had often fantasized and pondered about different avenues and simpler ways of life that I found appealing that I thought were closer and more ideal for my nature and personal beliefs and what I thought would bring me happiness.
I had a desire for doing creative mindful work, with an emphasis on my holistic well-being, and with facing my truth, and rising above challenges I learned how to be mentally tough and developed a bulletproof mind.
Still, my journey took me down different avenues, and throughout the years I learned the importance of going with the flow and applying flexibility and adaptability to bend and bounce back from life's lows and overcome failures and mistakes.
I realized that aiming for perfection was a form of weakness and fear, and instead I focused on continuous improvement for the long run.
Self-help Books
I've always enjoyed teaching myself and learning new things on my terms more than in a classroom setting, therefore in my library collection are self-help books and other creative tutorial books.
... and guess what?
My interests are vast, as I'm a multi-dimensional person, but what has surprised me is that all interests have manifested into more prominent and more substantial aspects of my life throughout the years. I have developed new skills which have complemented earlier interests.
"Everything changes, yet everything remains the same" comes to mind when I peruse my collection.
From books that I have collected, old journals, and letters that I've written to myself; I see how much I have changed, yet stayed the same, and I'm a better version of myself.
... I had to look clearly at this one and turn a few pages to see if it was mine... and as I did, I was reminded of why I never judge a book by the cover.
Entire Blurb:
"366 motivational messages that make every year a leap year - A leap from self-doubt to self-fulfillment!"
"What Is Tough-Minded Faith?"
- Sensing success in dark times
- Prioritizing your possibilities
- Coming back after defeat
- Adventuring into new territories
- Facing the future unafraid
- Trading off anxiety for peace
- Standing up for your convictions
- Assuring yourself of success
- And much more.
I never got around to reading this book, but from the list above, I've learned and applied all those things through experience and necessity, and I'm more than eager to read this book and all the others that I never had the time to read before.
A Little from my Personal Journal🌈
Reading my old journal, I now acknowledge that I had an unhealthy idea about my body and often saw skinny me as fat. It wasn't anything to be alarmed about because I was not self-destructive or anything, but it makes me sad to know that I felt that way. I still love fitness, but for the right reasons.
Most of the fitness activity that I engage in now is for spiritual well-being, and I am not concerned about what the number on the scale would be if I stepped on one.
I'm at a different level now, and in a healthy place.
I used to get embarrassed reading back my journals, and things that I've written down in the past... I'm someone who writes down EVERYTHING and time. It has been humourous reading old complaint letters that I've written, and it took me back to the time when I entered my TV Cable office to say hello to the staff who finally got my cable sorted after a series of letters and phone calls. When I stated my name, every member of staff knew my full name and address by heart and told me that they feared for their lives whenever I called to complain... I had to present an identity card to prove to them that I was the person I claimed to be.
I have mellowed and I no longer stress over small stuff 😊 I have trained myself to see the humourous side of everything now.
I'm comfortable in my skin, mindful, and take full responsibility for my emotions and my actions:)))
Looking through old memorabilia is a great way to revisit how far we've come in life. Glad you're getting that experience again! I like those old photos of you. That first one, especially, is striking, as you look so elegant and professional there — like you're the CFO of some big corporation, or a journalist about to interview some big-name personality! 😊
Haha! thanks for your lovely comment.
You're not far off there; That was my public relations days when I worked with several local and international press, and some big-name personalities too. It seems like so many moons ago 😊... but it's a period of my life that I look back at fondly:)))
A trip down memory lane. It's not easy to read old journals. But they are a good way to reflect on our previous self.
It sounds like you have grown quite a bit mentally and spiritually.
Nice ending. I think this is a very good way of viewing life
It's been great coming back to my journals. What surprised me though were my Complaint Letters to companies. It appears that I have had a longstanding pet peeve for bad service and I'm incapable of keeping quiet about it. Reading back the letters makes me understand why I always got favourable responses... because if I had received any of those letters, I would have wanted the person out of my life as fast as possible. 🤣
Hello to you, I hope it's okay to just mingle in here.
That cracked me up immediately. I was the same back then and in younger years. Just today I was roaming through old photographs, postcards and letters to find pictures from Vegas to get a blog post ready.
I too sent complaining letters to companies in full force and entitlement. HaHa! It so much makes me smile reading that someone was the same and changed. It's really embarrasing to read what one wrote when younger. So full of zeal and conviction. I even wrote a complaint letter to a flight company where I had a job interview and was rejected. Which I couldn't just let go off and told them that they made a mistake- goodness gracious, young people can be such a nuisance.
I just want to mention that I also sent letters of praise to those whom I found being of great support towards me. There was a dentist who did magic with my teeth and I thanked him ten years later. Same with a guy who was a photographer, teaching me the basics of analog photography. I made past journeys to places where I once have been and met good people to meet them one more time.
I am now in my fifties, and you?
Greetings from Germany.
Haha! This made me laugh out loud too.
Haha! That is so funny 🤣... I think I would have to give you the crown there 😂
That's so very true... and I realised that there is still that part of me inside, but maybe just a slightly different approach.
I'm just 46 years old :)
Greetings from Jamaica 😁
😂
HaHa!
I so loved reading this from a stranger and it revived immediate memories. Here is another one:
I even controlled my ex-boss because he didn't want to pay me a Christmas bonus at first because I had resigned. I was of the firm opinion that I deserved it and he said such was only an incentive for the future and not a reward for the past (in fact, he was right and I was wrong, but I only found out later).
I kept bugging him and said I would sit in his office until he gave me the promise of payment. He finally relented and assured me of a little more than half the amount. I didn't trust him and a few days later I asked the office worker if she could give me the phone number of the accountant. My boss overheard this from the next room and asked who wanted to know. Furious, he came to me and confronted me. I just said cheekily that I had wanted to check it and that he shouldn't think I would forget! LOL
I was really cheeky as a young woman. That has gone a long way and I am much calmer now. Sometimes I miss having such chutzpah.
See me nodding. That is also true.
Have a good time in Jamaica. Never been there. But surely would love to go.
I did NOT know that! 😲
🤔 It makes sense though when you think of it.
It was 9 years since I last came back, and man, it feels so good to be back home:)
To me, both ways make sense. It's just the way it was legally decided, I guess. I am long past bonuses, for I worked as a freelancer in the almost last twenty years of my life.
Nine years is sure a long time. You must be so happy to see your family and get the air of this beautiful place. Here it's just bitter cold. I don't like winter time :(
Bye bye
Sounds like you're keeping the big companies in check, which helps everyone out 👍
Yeah, it would appear so 🤣
I didn't remember that side of me 🤣🙃
In the end that's all that matters if you really think about it, being comfortable in your own skin. The confidence that this state of mind can bring is insane and almost starts to feel like we can achieve almost anything when we are heightened to that level of self acceptance. Not many can reach there, took me years too. Good on you Milly to have reached there!
Thank you very much 😊
I try to remain grounded because when you get to a certain level of emotional stability and acceptance, you act/react differently. I've come a far way after doing extensive work on myself, and I'm optimistic about finding new ways to improve once I'm healthy and able.
Thanks for stopping by:)))
Old pictures really do hold some vivid powers, to take us back, take us into a world of imagination, of what was and what could've been. I have an old picture with my mother, on a train in Bombay, we went to India for a little vacation and I was only 2 or 3 years old, that picture there speaks to me. Even though I don't remember much from back then, I still look at that picture sometimes, to assess, what has changed and what hasn't, how I've grown and progressed ahead. It has been quite a bumpy ride so far, and a long path to go still, I guess.
Yet, no matter what happens in life at the moment, or in the future, I now know quite well about one thing, and that is who I am as a person. I now accept myself wholeheartedly, even though once upon a time I didn't; growth, self-evaluation and steady progress, that's the pah I see for now.
and btw Milly, you were quite a stylish gal back then too, so wit and beauty both huh? What more could one ask for? Cheers ☕️🖤
Your comment made me smile 😊
Yes, it's amazing how much we gather about ourselves when we look back at old photos. Me, I never liked any photos of myself back then. I was a handful to deal with because I was a questioning person. It all falls into place now, and when I look back at my photos now, I know deep within how far I've come.
I had fun and fashion and enjoyed making my own clothes for an individual style which my friends were fascinated with, and lovingly mocked me. Now that I'm back home I see a lot of my clothes in my closet, and I would love to find a mini-me to hand them down to:)))
I used to take a lot of photos back in the days, now it's not even close. These smartphone front cameras are of no use to me haha. Back in the days I'd put in the effort to setup a whole camera, or just to turn "not-so-smartphone" phone backwards to get a proper selfie haha.
Cheers to that, love it. 🥃🖤
Mock? Really? I say both the outfits here are just fab, absolute classic looks.
Better go on a "mini-me hunting spree" then, making sure those clothes are in the right hands. Most of my older clothes are usually confiscated by my younger brothers, and during winter a lot of it is given away to needy.
Haha! No, my friends thought it was hilarious that I was comfortable wearing my own 'style' regardless of what anyone else thought.
I am the youngest, so there was never anyone to hand my clothes down to except girls in the village. I'm not familiar with the ones around now, but my mother does and collected some that she will donate for me:)))
Well, I can't say that I myself haven't had similar experiences. I guess it's quite a common scenario when it comes to our younger selves and our experiences with our friend circle.
That's the trick I'd say, my mother does the same whenever she gets the chance. Our mothers are always there to save the day haha.
Ah life. I wish I'd known then half of what I know now. I look back on old photos and am jealous of how thin I am haha although at the time thought I was fat. Now menopause is here and it's all so much harder, but I'm still squishing into a wetty and getting out there. I've been obsessed with exercise too but primarily Bikram yoga, but these days I just do what my body lets me do. You look impossibly HOT in that old photo, I'd have ya 😂😯
Ah boy! Me too 😏... and thanks for the compliment 😊
Spending time in the water is amazing in so many ways. I'm not much of a water person, but one of my fav exercises is pool aerobics. My body tones fast because it lows impact and it helps to strengthen my knees.
Menopause is a bitch, and you wonder how the years creep up on you when your mind is alert and ticking 🤣
Despite everything, you seem to live a balanced life, have lived a good life, and have a lot going for you, so kudos to you for that 👏
Yeah meno is sooo hard, but I've got over the worst of it and settling into my new self now. Best I accept it! Pool aerobics sounds good, and low impact sounds great too.
You look sexy and pretty in your old photos 😊
And those books seem good to read. The five-minute healer and road less traveled seem interesting. I am familiar with the second one but haven't read the whole book yet.
Thank you 😊
You are right! The five-minute healer is complete with everything from the moment you wake up to all aspects of your life natural health, self-help, and psychology. It even had Chi Gong moves on-the-go, visualization, homeopathy and so much more. The book is by Jane Alexander.
Definitely, you are a charming soul and very difficult to repeat.... I know from some of your posts, which reveal a wonderful and rarely seen (at least in my environment) kind of personality.... This post is also very human, eloquent and charming.... Ah!... abd very, very funny the anecdote in the Cable office!... ha haaaa haaaa 😂😂😂haaaa.... I laughed a lot!.... You write very well, thank you for sharing..... Greetings and appreciations from Venezuela to you, have nice day...
Thanks for your lovely reply 😊
Hehehe! Glad you got the joke about the Cable Office - it was super funny 🤣
It's great to be back on this tropical side of the world.
Have a great day too:)))
I love books and reading but I also really like writing. Another thing I like is seeing my memories. We always feel nostalgic for the old days.
In my country we usually say that remembering is living. This is an old saying that means a lot to me. Thanks for sharing, I really liked it.
Oh, I like that!
Yes, it's great for me to return home to these memories:)))
Thanks for your lovely comment 😊
In fact, undertanding one's self is paramount to growth. If you fail to understand who you are, it will be hard working on yourself.
It's good you have developed the habit of reading for yourself as every mindful person should..
Thanks for your words @millycf1976
Thanks for your kind feedback 😊
I appreciate it very much:)
Old pictures remind us of events that we have passed long ago. They freshen the slept memories. They bring old feelings back along with new ones.
Reading old journals is another experience. Something that you have entirely forgotten would come in front and Sometimes it would be difficult for you to believe that it was you who faced it. Sometimes the memory brings joy, at other times regret.
How much you have groomed over the years matters the most. The best feeling is when you feel more satisfied and at peace than the older times. It is good to know that you are happier than before 🙂
Absolutely! You've said that so well.
Thanks for stopping by 😊
My pleasure 🙂
Thank you so much for your support:)
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Haha, you certainly kept a gruelling schedule as a young girl. Wow, isn’t it weird how we women always think we’re too damn fat when we’re young, but as older women we just wish we could go back and only have the problems with our bodies we had then. Life teaches so much about acceptance, but let’s face it, it’s a good thing. 🤗💕❤️
Haha! Yeah, now I look back at all my photos and wonder how I wasn't blown away by the wind. No one would have ever seen those photos of me then because all I ever saw was fat.
Indeed! Life teaches us so much. We just have to be thankful 😊😍🤗
Gee,you look so beautiful in photo iti, see you like to read and I also a lot of books in the library that you read.
It turns out that you are a great woman.
Although in life we have to go with the flow.
Yes, reading self-help books can be very beneficial:)
Thanks for stopping by with your lovely comment 😊
I appreciate it very much.
You're welcome @millycf1976
I am so excited to read a lot of books hehehe