The Self-Discovery Retreat - A Digital Destination to help you Rise to your Platform & Shine! By Arianna Merritt, MEd. About Arianna's Random Thoughts. Did I ever think that the young girl who didn’t like public speaking and was nervous on stage would grow up & write a blog to share her random thoughts with the world? Many of you have asked “How did I end up here?” As they think I have had this vision for my journey all along. Truth is I haven’t. For a long time in my life, I had been afraid to be seen, so I was hiding my voice, my capabilities, and my dreams.
I was really shy as a teenager and was bullied and as a result downplayed my talent for fear of getting judged, slouched my 6 foot tall body, and silenced my voice. I avoided the attention and opportunities where I would stand out and showcase my potential. Before, I believed that my talents, dreams, abilities, and beautiful self were unimportant; so I hid them and pretended I was invisible. Over time, I realized though that my blending in with others was bad for my health & body (literally), so I stopped slouching and started Standing Tall in all areas.
Start Here: Arianna's Random Thoughts. Stories are universal; they are a way for lessons to be passed along to others. From my travels around the world, I have learned many life lessons through meeting new people. Some of the most random deep conversations with others have inspired me to greatness. Telling people your life story is an essential part of social interaction—whether you are online or offline. Sharing the journey gives others permission to do the same. Sometimes when looking at the lives of of influential people and significant role models, people don’t want to hear the stories about their obstacles because they only want the condensed highlighted version. But, they would be only seeing part of the story. There is a specialness in sharing your story with people who understand and can relate to your experience. I have a network of friends who are kindhearted, smart, authentic, caring, and real. The question I get asked most often by new readers is: How does this work?
The posts are designed to start conversations. Arianna's Random Thoughts by Arianna Merritt, M.Ed. Don't Sit All Day, Rise Up!: Arianna's Random Thoughts. Stopping to sit to enjoy the view is one thing. But sitting all day impacts our health. Do you have to sit for long periods of time? How does your body like it?
Today, I’m writing this post standing up – with my laptop on the counter, as opposed to sitting down. I hurt my back this week from sitting at the computer for too long. The stiffness in my back was a wake-up call that made me painfully aware of how unkind I’m being to my body when I’m sedentary. How can we rise up, to take care of our bodies, in a world that encourages us to sit? To heal my back and body for the short-term and long-term, starting later last week, I began making changes to my sitting habits. To help my back feel better I went out and did some yoga.
My question to myself: How can I stop sitting so much on a daily basis? The sitting position is so common in today’s lifestyle – it seems impossible to avoid. Sound familiar? Starting today, I have a two part challenge for you. We are all in this together. Related. Being Smart, Powerful, & Feminine! How do we as women stop hiding and embrace our strong, powerful, & feminine selves? Happy October! After posting on TheSelfDiscoveryRetreat.com since early June, I have decided that Arianna’s Random Thoughts is my blog and that is my business site.
I am back to posting regularly on here. Thank you for your patience as I navigated this transition. Over great conversations in late August with friends and family, I realized that in some areas I have been “hiding” myself. One such conversation was with my youngest sister who brought it to my attention that I tend to hide my body under baggy shirts. Photo Credit: Saba Mir So, I took action and donated some of my baggy hoodies and clothes that really didn’t compliment my beautiful self. Reflecting on my journey, I discovered that over the years, I have tended to cover up my beautiful body in order to blend in and not draw attention to my femininity. Society keeps trying to make me believe I can’t be smart, powerful, & feminine. Related Go Be Seen. Assertiveness: Arianna's Random Thoughts. “How can I be more assertive?” Is a question I have been asked and been reflecting on over the past couple of weeks. I thought I would reach out and ask you the same question.
Dorland’s Medical Dictionary defines assertiveness as “a form of behavior characterized by a confident declaration or affirmation of a statement without need of proof; this affirms the person’s rights or point of view without either aggressively threatening the rights of another (assuming a position of dominance) or submissively permitting another to ignore or deny one’s rights or point of view.” In past years, I have been silent about important issues because I lacked the belief that my point of view mattered or was valid. Even though I knew deep down that I was of value, I was too insecure around others to tell them my honest thoughts and opinions. What helped me speak was the presence of a supportive community who lifted me up. Thank you for reading and your presence at this beach retreat. See you at the beach!