Attributes Are Jewelry of the Spirit
In response to Dancing Elephants prompt #21 of 52
About 10 years ago, I was focusing on leadership development. I’d enrolled in a 3-month intensive program that met every week. One of the assignments was to create a list of 20 positive attributes that described us. Each had to be a sentence in the form “I am.…”
Our mentors then turned those attributes into a gift for us. Many went with framed calligraphy, but my mentor went in a different direction. She used letter-block beads, jeweler’s wire, and a decorative jewelry tree to make a memorable piece of artwork. Additional traits that wouldn’t fit on the tree were painted on rocks in the dish below it.
I kept that tree in the center of my dresser, where I could see it every day, and be reminded of all the good things about myself.
I also had a framed artwork on the wall of the bathroom that included all the adjectives other members of the class used to describe me. Some of them I agreed with, like “Intelligent” and “Creative”. Some were extremely difficult to believe, like “Beautiful”.
It took a few years of work, but I can now accept that I can appear beautiful to people, or have some beautiful features (smile and eyes are cited most frequently). It’s amazing how fervently we cling to negative impressions of ourselves.
Here are ten of the twenty positive statements about me from that tree.
I am…
- Intelligent. This is one of my defining characteristics. It’s one of the first things people notice about me, and has been since I was 2 years old and demanding my parents send me to school.
- Imaginative. I went with this variant on “creative” because I think it’s more accurate. I don’t just create concrete, physical things. I can create worlds and characters in my head, and have since I was little. This is true regardless of whether or not I write about them.
- Magical. This is a good way of summing up how I interact with the world. As in “always leave room for magic.” I may not know how to get from point A to point Q, but if I can at least get to point B, the universe will show me how to do the rest.
- A good listener. One surprising thing about me is how often people I am talking to say, “I’ve never told anyone this, but.…” When I listen, it is with complete attention, and no (or very little) judgment. People can feel that openness.
- An animal lover. I’ve had cats for most of my life. But I also like dogs, horses, cows, goats, pigs, and sheep. I loved being in 4-H as a kid, getting to care for all the animals.
- Logical. This is another one of those defining characteristics. It’s why I studied math in college. I highly value precision and accuracy, both in word and in thought. I can’t tolerate sloppy thinking, and will stop my husband any time he makes an unsupported inference.
- Truthful. There is a great power that comes from only speaking truth. According to some eastern religions, if you speak truth for long enough, anything you say, merely by virtue of you saying it, becomes true. It’s part of why precision and accuracy of speech is so important.
- Optimistic. If what you speak, and the thoughts you focus on, can become true, why on Earth would you want to create a more negative environment for yourself? Find the good in things, and focus on that. Expect that things will work out and get better, somehow. (See #3.)
- Compassionate. This goes with being imaginative and a good listener. I can always spin alternative explanations for why someone did something that show them in a positive light. As long as there is the possibility of that being their true motivation, I have to give them the benefit of the doubt.
- A teacher. I’ve never taught professionally, although I did have a fine career as a technical writer. That’s basically teaching via print. But I try to encourage people in their growth and development by explaining and demonstrating to them. If I know how to do something, and you need to know, I can’t not try to explain it to you. Fortunately, because of items #4 and #9, I never try to impose my view of what you need to know. :-)
After writing down ten things I loved about myself, I was feeling like I was a pretty awesome individual. And you know the best part? You’re just as awesome! Write your own list of ten things, and see how bright you shine. If you post it, here or elsewhere, please copy me so I can support your awesomeness.
This is a response to the prompt by Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles:
The first two respondents to this prompt are NancyO:
and Lisa Precious / Smiley Blue:
I loved their takes on the prompt, especially on how difficult it can be to love and value ourselves.
Read all of my responses (so far) to the Dancing Elephants Press 52 weekly writing prompts:
