I Am: Bold. Brilliant. Beautiful. You.

After last month’s marvelous reception, I’ve been anxious to move ahead in our Bold. Brilliant. Beautiful. You project. We introduced ourselves and shared our plans in January but we are still very much at the beginning of this journey. In an effort to physically see who we are, we are working on ‘I am’ statements this month. I started making ‘I am’ lists at the end of high school and part way through college. I tried to update it every year as I evolved and learned more about the world and my place in it. It was such a treat to go back and read my lists. I can remember writing them and exactly what made me add some of the lines. Then somewhere along the many moves and entrance into real adulthood, I forgot about them.

But this statement is not just a trip down memory lane. It’s a declaration. It’s a credo. It’s a stand-in-front-of-the-mirror-naked moment, right? It’s a tool to define who we are, what we are capable of and what we will and will not stand for. It can be challenging to lay it all out, to see all that you are. But we are Bold, Brilliant and Beautiful. We can do it. Here’s my list:

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I am a living, breathing human being.

I am female. I am woman. I am a child of God. I am a family member. I am a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a niece, an in-law, a granddaughter.

I am a wife.

I am a mother.

I am an individual

I am alive. I am lively.

I am a friend, a confidant, a team member, an athlete, a student of life. I impart knowledge. I learn. I grow.

I am a musician.

I am a dreamer, a thinker, a creator, a reader. I am creative. I am an art former. I am art.

I am smart. I am independent. I am a risk taker. I am a person needs to be challenged.

I am a leader.

I am a talker. I am a listener.

I am emotional.

I am a person who laughs heartily, cries proudly, smiles easily. And I am a person who reads emotions on others very well.

I am strong, brave, confident and I am a person who sometimes succumbs to that unpleasant and demeaning voice in my head.

I am able to think for myself, make decisions on my own. I am able to take care of myself, laugh at myself and protect myself. I am a person who can protect others.

I am a semi-perfectionist. I am a person who makes mistakes. I am able to take the blame.

I am able to forgive myself and I can forgive others.

I am able to ask for help and I am able to offer help.

I am my own person. I am an original. I am unique. I am different from everyone else.

I am only one person but I am capable of so many things.

I am not perfect.

I am a good person in spite of my imperfections.

I am growing. I am evolving.

I am not willing to waste the person I am.

I am the one and only.

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This is where you jump in. Make your own ‘I am’ statement. Take time with yourself and learn about you. Stick with the phrases “I am”, I am a/an”, “I am a person who”, “I am not” and “I am able to”. I bet you will surprise yourself. I always do.

Good luck!

If you want to share a pic on Instagram, add the hashtag #boldbrilliantbeautiful so we can all see you! If you tag me (@thisheartofmineblog), I’ll leave you a message!

Also, we are trying something new this month! To make it easier to find others participating in the BBBY project, we’ve created a linky party. Go ahead and click on any of the images to read about others ‘I am’ statements. If you have a post to share, make sure to add it below. If you want to add the linky party to your site, there is a link for the code below as well. Welcome!

For 2014, I’ve joined forces with some blogging friends of mine to motivate and encourage ourselves and others to be bold, brilliant, beautiful and decidedly ourselves. And we totally want you to join us! The #boldbrilliantbeautiful project is a support group for all of us seeking to be real and vulnerable. No judging, no questions, just support and words of encouragement. Find us on Instagram with the #boldbrilliantbeautiful hashtag and on the Bold. Brilliant. Beautiful. You. Facebook page. All are invited and welcome. :)