Over the years, I have come to realize that in order to be happy in life your biggest cheerleader needs to be…drumroll… YOURSELF! You may have a million people cheering you on, but all is useless if you don’t believe in yourself first.

As the eternal optimist that I am, I figured that this post would be that boost of positivity that we ALL need in this hell hole of a world that we are living in.

I have gone through my own bouts of self-doubt, sadness, feelings of hopelessness, regret… I’ve felt all of those feelings and they SUCK. They literally suck the life out of you. But one thing that I have also learned is overcoming those feelings and realizing just how much I am actually killin it at this thing called life! Let me just enlighten you on how you actually ARE killin the game :

You Often Take the High Road

We have ALL been there. This can be incredibly hard. Someone did you wrong in some way, and instead of creating a bigger mess and calling the girl a “ratchet hoe” and snatching her barbie wig off, you simply smile and move on.

This is a level 1 high road achievement. Now, if you are REALLY killing it, you take it as far as befriending this ratchetness which will then upgrade you to a level 2 of high road achievement. That is a whole level of killin it that I have yet to reach. But I’m getting there.

2. You Realize that ALL CREDIT SCORES ACTUALLY DO MATTER— But Not in the Same Way

As adults, we now have to worry about things like credit scores. At 18 years old, I could care less about a credit score or what it would do to me. So you have taken the responsible route and decided to pay attention to that 3 digit number (is it possible to have less than 3 digits? YIKES) . Good for you. Plus, I heard that we will each be getting a 30 point boost soon. WINNING!!!! Does your credit score still suck? Check out these tips on how to boost your score quick, fast, and in a hurry click here. Don’t be ashamed of a bad score! Just don’t sit around and cry about it. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Pay off your debt (esp. credit card debt), make your payments on time, and don’t live outside of your means just to impress people who are NOT impressed.

It will get better!

3. Tiny Humans Worship You

If you are a young parent, you understand this. They may drive you absolutely nuts, but your kids actually worship you. They want to be you, they want to eat what you eat, do what you do, and live how you live. This is such an empowering feeling. For me, it makes me want to be an even better person and work hard to be the BEST representation of a parent that I can be. So far so good! #killinit

4. You Don’t Play the Blame Game

Who the hell came up with this game? It is a ridiculous game with NO winners and only losers. Rather than blaming your issues on someone else or someTHING else, maybe it is actually just YOU that is the problem. Taking accountability will set you FREE! You have no direction in life? Maybe it’s because of YOU that your are in this situation? You are in the same shitty job for the past 10 years… well…. no one is stopping you from quitting! Let’s be real about our situations and take a LONG HARD LOOK at ourselves and adjust accordingly. Get back to Killin it!!!

5. People Ask YOU for Advice

WTF? You actually want MY opinion for YOUR life? WOW! What an honor to have someone ask you about what step they should take next or how to respond to this certain relationship issue. You must be a valuable person in their life. Keep up the good work.

6. You are NOT a Racist, Bigoted, Piece of SHIT.

I mean, do I even need to explain this one? Just stop it… and stop hanging around those who are, UNLESS, you are simply hanging around them to be a positive representation of being a better person. Otherwise, move along… We see you, STUPID.

7. You Are a Unicorn and You Know It

Realizing that you are weird and you’re cool with it is a MASSIVE milestone. Celebrate being YOU. Hell… I’m my biggest cheerleader. Not because I’m full of myself (Kanye tendencies). But I am genuinely proud of what I have overcome and grown to be that I BASK in my weirdness and I’m very confident about it. Take it or leave it… but I’m certainly going to TAKE IT!! I have so many hashtags for you to use next time you post a selfie on IG. Feel free to steal them #memyselfandi #winning #killinit #toohottotrot #imthebagofchips #fierce #moveoverbeyonce #lovethineself

8. You Actually Followed Through With a Goal and SUCCEEDED!

I have gone into Target and came out with ONLY a single package of paper plates I needed exactly 3 times in my life and I am proud! I stuck to my guns and didn’t get caught up in the adorable rose gold votive candle holders or those 30% clearance boots. That is what I call SUCCESS. How many times have you started a diet and failed? Like a million times. But there are those people that have incredible will power and did not fail THIS time around. Is that you? If so, give yourself several pats on the back because guurrrrl… you is WINNING.

9. You know things about wine

I do know that it tastes good and that at tastings you are supposed to “taste not swallow” the wine. Other than that, I could care less about the oakiness and pepperiness of that Pinot Noir you are drinking. But kudos if you actually know REAL things about wine. Do us laypersons a favor and don’t be boujee but let us into some of the tips and tricks for a better wine tasting experience.

10. You Pay for Everyone at the Table

This may be a touchy subject. But I have noticed this come up in multiple blogs. So let’s ease into this. When we were younger, you were invited to the birthday party at Johnny’s house and you simply showed up with a gift and were not expected to pay for anything. You ate pizza, cake and ice cream, played a few games and went home. But NOW as adults, you are invited to someone else’s birthday party and are expected to pay for yourself to celebrate THEIR birthday and also give them a gift. Why is this normal? Be the person who pays for your friend next time you go out to happy hour and then let them take the bill next time. Host a party where we can just show up and celebrate! We are growing up y’all!

11. You have decided that experiences are more important than things

YES YES YESSSSS!!!!! Stuff is just STUFF, experiences create long lasting memories that you can cherish FOR-EV-A. Instead of buying those dope name brand shoes, trade them in and save for an incredible vacation with your boo thang. Experiences make you crave a stronger connection to the people you value most rather than valuing the objects above them. Let’s do more of that.

12. You have learned how to accept help from others

Another thing that people have trouble with is accepting any sort of help. People don’t like to ask for help. Whether this is for financial reasons, health reasons, whatever it may be it’s hard to ask for something. I have realized that there are SO many people looking to find a way to help other people. Why? Because it feels SO damn good to give back that people thrive in a helping environment. Why not be on the receiving end of a helping hand for once? LIFE IS TOUGH. Learn to let others help you when you need it and put your pride to the side. I have experienced both sides of the coin and both feel really good. It’s great to know that I have so many people willing and able to help me. It also feels so great to know that I can pay it forward when the opportunity arises. Great job folks… told ya you were killin the game.

So you see, you are not sucking at life the way you thought. You are actually leaps and bounds ahead of many of our fellow humans. Let’s show the aliens that not all life on Earth is unintelligent and we actually have a lot to offer! HA!

But really, take a moment and step outside of life’s ridiculous pressures and reassure yourself that you are doing just fine. You ARE a great parent, you ARE a great friend, you ARE a fantastic employee, you ARE a great person and people love and appreciate you for being YOU. YOU’RE KILLIN’ IT.

Like what you see here at Sharplandia? I know I’m not for everyone, but if I’m for you don’t hesitate to subscribe to this blog and join in on my life journey around the sun.

Cheers,

Sarah

This topic seems self explanatory to me, but I’m not EVERYONE. I am the type of mom that loves and truly adores her husband and children, but also revels in my alone time. I have always been this way.

My husband laughs at me when I tell him that when I was in middle school, I would be alone in my room doing all kinds of weird things like being COMPLETELY naked and choreographing my own dance routines to 90s house music. I’m not sure why I was naked, I was just in my own ZONE. You know, typical middle school stuff. LOL

1655_509727999589_6047_n — Pretty sure this was 8th grade… Yikerz.

Side Note// One day I will post about my weird middle school years. I’m sure it will be entertaining.

When I’m alone, it’s just me, my own thoughts, my own existence, and my own sense of peace. So, being the thoughtful husband that he is he treated me to a night at this amazing hotel on the SW Portland waterfront COMPLETELY alone.

Being that I have a very active 2 year old and I’m 33 weeks pregnant this was an incredible and unexpected treat for me to just have some uninterrupted ME TIME!

So I checked in and here is what my room looked like. Very Portland minimalist, natural, and chic with a river view.

I was totally McCullay Culkin on Home Alone 2. I did what any 10 year old stuck in New York with loads of cash would do… I ordered room service!!

A juicy cheeseburger and fries and vanilla bread pudding… JUST FOR ME!! And it was worth every single solitary calorie. Room service comes from the attached restaurant at Rosswood. Seems like a nice little date night spot. For people who live in Portland, it used to be Aquariva but has a completely different menu and management now.

After stuffing my face full of junk food and taking a LONG HOT SHOWER, I did what any exhausted mom would do…got super cozy in bed and caught up on some terrible chick flicks and fell asleep at 7:30pm.

I got like 12 hours of sleep which was IN-CREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m soaking it all in before a newborn comes into the picture again and I have sleep that is in the negatives. ***Sigh***

The next morning, I woke up and felt revitalized for at least 2 hours before coming back down to reality. LOL But it was worth it and my husband is the king of the universe for giving me the chance to be alone for a while.

If you are a mom, or just someone who feels overworked and exhausted, do yourself a favor and take some time away to be alone! Don’t feel guilty about it! You give everything you have day in and day out and that is a whole lot of work. Everyone deserves some time to themselves. Trust me, it’s worth it!

This was my Monday “Weekend Review” post and I hope you enjoyed taking a little look into my world. Stay tuned for the next Sharplandia post! I’m really starting to get a hang of this blog thing.