Highlights for Be Too Much
- Some people say that I’m too much (0:15)
- Sorry, not sorry – and here’s why not… (2:30)
- I AM too much! (4:55)
- You can be too much, too! (5:15)
- So, how about you? (7:15)
Be Too Much
For my entire life, I’ve been told I am too much—
- Too loud
- Too big
- Too smart
- Too bossy
- Too mouthy
- Too blonde
- Too freckly
Too freckly…??? Really…? How can anyone not love my freckles? Well, that’s another podcast entirely, but they are out there … people who think I’m too much.
A former friend used to tell me ALL the time that I was too loud. Every time they said that, I would cower a little and wish to fit their definition of
“appropriate.”
Since I was 10 years old, I’ve been told my body is too big. I’m still undoing all the damage from those messages and diets … I’ve been wrestling with it since that tender age.
I’ve been told that being a successful professional woman is intimidating to men (and some women) and that it would be difficult to find a partner who isn’t intimidated by my success.
I’ve been told I’m a bossy control freak when I stand up and lead – especially when some people don’t want ME to be the leader. In the absence of leadership, I will step up because it comes naturally to me, and yet those words cut me like a knife for so long.
All of these things used to really make me feel bad. They made me want to be smaller … physically and figuratively. But the truth is that I’m just not a small person – I’m BIG!
I have a BIG personality! I have a BIG body! I have BIG energy! I have a BIG light about me!
And I’m not sorry for being BIG!
Sorry, Not Sorry – and Here’s Why Not…
A few years ago, I realized that I have a huge family!!!! If you want to be heard at my family gatherings, you have to be LOUD! I’m loud just like my loud, HUGE Irish family!
I was trying to fit into someone else’s definition, and that made me feel bad. But I only have to fit my own definition, and I’m okay with being loud. My husband has a hearing loss, and he doesn’t think I’m loud at all 😊
I love myself more than I ever have, and it’s a nice change! I’ve been so comfortable this summer just hanging out in my bathing suit, and that’s a nice change, too!
I became a successful professional woman so I could take care of myself and not have to rely on anyone – a lesson I learned as I grew up watching my mother struggle and depend on others. I took advantage of the opportunities I was given, and I built my success through hard work – and I’m proud of myself!
I also married a man who isn’t the least bit intimidated by my success. In fact, he celebrates it and encourages it!
I AM Too Much!
I’m too much for some people … and that’s okay.
I’m too much for some people who are hiding in their own lives, and my bigness makes them uncomfortable.
I’m too much for people who have different values than I do.
And that’s all okay!
You Can Be Too Much, Too!
Be bold: Say what you want, and ask for what you need.
Be loud: Make sure that you’re heard.
Be emotional: Feel your feelings … they will pass when you allow them fully.
Be silly: Have fun! Don’t take life too seriously … no one gets out of it alive.
Be human: We all make mistakes. Embrace your humanness.
Be outrageous: Be cutting edge! Share your wild idea, start a new company – be the first!
Be kind: Be kinder than you think you need to be because everyone is fighting some kind of battle.
Be comfortable: Life is too short to be uncomfortable. Think of what you miss when you’re too sidetracked by discomfort to really enjoy what’s going on. Choose comfort, whether it’s clothing, shoes, kids, makeup, hair, being worried about what other people think, or something else.
Be bossy: Lead the way! Someone’s got to do it; it might as well be you!
Be persistent: Don’t take no for an answer.
Be assertive: Men are said to be “assertive,” but women are said to be bitches. Well, be bitchy! Bitches get shit done!
Be confident.
Be in the moment.
Be in your bathing suit!
Be in good company.
Be of service.
So, How About You?
Where can you be more into your life? Where have you been hiding because you didn’t want to be “too much?” Stop waiting and start living – today!
This is your permission slip to be everything you’ve always wanted to be and then some!
Until next time,
xoxo,
Shawna
