Yo G, I’m proud of you – Thoughts on turning 25

Yo G, I’m proud of you – Thoughts on turning 25

Since In it 4 the Long Run’s inception back in July 2013, I’ve enjoyed reflecting and celebrating my blog and my birthday (also known as the “blirthday”… it hasn’t caught on).

If I had to sum up 24-year-old Georgie’s M.O. it would be “own your shit.” Last year I owned the really hard awful shit, the amazing “how is this my life” shit, and all my own deep seeded shit that has a funny way of showing it’s face till you own it.

Today I wanted to own that owning, in a segment I like to call “Yo G(a nickname of mine), I’m proud of you.” I’ve come to understand that when we can own the good, we can more easily own the bad.

To be totally honest, this post is really hard for me. It’s hard to own my shit even if that was the theme of last year. It’s hard to say “hey I did this and I’m proud of it.” Because you know what that really means? It means opening yourself up to criticism and disappointment. If you boldly stake your claim and stand for who you are and why you love it, someone can then tear you down. No owning = no tearing down. That fear of being proud, or really of disappointment has stopped me from so many things. And it’s definitely stopped me from vocally appreciating what I’ve done or even acknowledging it.

However I’ve realized there’s a flip side. Because when you don’t own your good shit it’s a lot harder to own your bad shit. And when you don’t, you can move through it and past it. It just all clogs up there on ya. And we all know nobody wants a clog-age situation.

When we’re not afraid to be proud of ourselves, we’re not so afraid to be disappointed, too. When we’re not so afraid, or rather when we can face those fears, we move through the good and bad like the complicated, confusing, wonderful badasses we are.

So here it is, G, I’m proud of you

Yo G, I’m proud of you:

1. You trusted your gut and you switched gears with your blog and business knowing it would come with challenges, rewards, regrets and joys.
2. You faced a ton of fears around honesty, people pleasing and all that hard shit. Growth hurts (so good).
3. You traveled to London and you were honest with yourself when it wasn’t always rainbows.
4. You listened to your heart instead of your ego, even when you knew you could be hurt. Love is awesome and scary, proud of you for going for it anyway.
5. You created boundaries with people, with work, with yourself.
6. You treated your one and only body with kindness and compassion. Isn’t life better this way?
7. You started a fucking podcast. Get it gurl.
8. You got that tattoo and it’s way more beautiful than you had hoped.
9. You introduce yourself as a blogger and photographer even though it’s scary and you have imposter syndrome big time.
10. You went to therapy. Worth every damn penny.

As I’ve only completed a quarter of a century, I’m far from an expert on getting older. I did have one of those “oh shit I’m not 21 anymore” moments, and after that subsided I realized how amazing it is to get older. I see how much growth comes every year, and I gotta say, bring it on.

A Couple Goals for 25-year-old G

1. Accept compliments and criticism with grace, knowing that both are often a far deeper reflection of the other person
2. Have fun with fashion again
3. Don’t forget to nurture your hobbies outside your work
4. Stop interrupting people when they’re talk (I know you’re just excited – it’s super annoying and you hate it too)
5. Trust yourself, even when you don’t have the logical evidence yet
6. Invest in your friendships
7. Get off your phone, dammit
8. Be thoughtful

Your Turn

• What’s something your proud of about YOU?

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