2013: The Year of Self-Confidence

One of the problems I face with  my physical limitations is that I get bored easily. My slight autism, back issues & terrible eye-to-brain neural connections  make for multi-disabilities.  I LOOK " normal" {whatever that is... and who really knows}

I've accepted myself as God made me &  with a lot of encouragement from people I love, including Best Dude} am recognizing my strengths. In college I studied English & journalism, so I'm more than qualified to run a media/publicity campaign for my favorite nonprofit charity.

For the past four or five years { I lost count} I've been active in the local chapter on a national autism advocacy, support & education. Last year we sponsored our first 5K. Admittedly, I was not as active in the planning for the event as I'd hoped, but this year  is different. They need someone to chair the publicity/media campaign & I volunteered for this task.

I love telling stories & showing such stories via visual media. When I was a teenager in the 1990's I wanted Christiane Amanpour's job at CNN...I wanted to travel the world & tell stories that no one else dared o expose. As a child I alternated between wanting to write the Great American Novel & joining the FBI. { Police-procedural dramas are still my favorite TV drama genre}

Last night I received the agenda for tonight's meeting via email. The spreadsheet form looked a bit daunting to me...until I remembered that I am the " new & improved, stronger Sarah Beth". last yea my focus was to begin & maintain a physical fitness routine...so in 2013 my goal is to develop more self-confidence. Due in part to my later-in-life diagnosed autism & various other medical issues, my self-confidences low. Although I've been extremely blessed for these past five years { and especially these past two years} , it is hard to erase over 30 years of self-doubt. 

My hope is that I take opportunities this year to become involved in projects that can showcase my talents.  It is hard to be approaching middle-age, re-evaluating my life & realizing that comparatively, my timeline is blase. But, as Best Dude repeatedly tells me, my life's story is not " typical"

Most people I know & love are somewhat atypical.

I hereby declare 2013 as the Year Of Self- Confidence.

Amen.