SuperEGO, SuperMAN, SuperYOU

We spend majority of our life complimenting others, "You look nice!" "Good Job!" "You're doing great!" YOU YOU YOU YOU! But, what about ME! Why is it so shunned upon to compliment yourself to others? It's not a matter of being cocky, arrogant, conceited, egotistical, blah blah blah. All these negative words for such a beautiful thing. It's ok to love yourself and it should be ok to let the world know! People deserve the right to know how great we are. Although, it is good for them to see it for themselves, but people are too quick to pass judgement, so why not steer them in the right direction of how fantastic we could be.

We see people show off their relationships on social media, posting pictures and statuses. So let's make a change and do a status update that says, "I LOVE ME!"

My Short "COCKY" Story (No Pun Intended):

I recently started running in early June due to boredom. After making it a consistent hobby, I decided to do something with it. So, in early July I registered for the New York Road Runners. After learning about their 9+1 Program (9 races + 1 volunteering = GUARANTEED ENTRY INTO THE NYC MARATHON 2014), my heart was set. This past Sunday I ran my very first Half Marathon and I felt fantastic. I just wanted to tell the world how much of the SH!$ I was! I mean how many people can run 13.1 miles! Well, I have 4 more races to go to secure my spot. And you better believe I will be far from humble and let the whole world know of my great success, simply because I am motivated, inspiring, and freakin' awesome!

Nothing is worse than achieving something great and having to constantly think in the back of your mind to 'humble' yourself so that others do not find you to be cocky.

It is time to de-humble ourselves and be assertive, proud, and showy.

{'Superman' Image by Greenog}

Clinch, Lock, Squeeze: The 'Talk'

I'm not a touchy person let alone a hugger. I'm on an arms length basis- no cooties please. So when it comes to giving a friendly hug, I'm just awkward. My hugs are said to be described as my arms 'just being there'. They're lifeless noodles clinging on to your back. More of a half assed gesture. I would rather hug a snowman with its twig arms, which seem much more inviting than mine. So I decided to do a little research because I was not taught to hug ... correctly. Good ol' wikiHow.com/hug saved the day and updated me on the many ways to hug because clearly 'I' didn't get the memo.

So the first step in hugging is to make sure the hug-ee is expecting the hug with open arms. Do not attempt hugging if they are not aware. This can lead to an awkward situation.

There are 5 different types of hugs:

Hugging A Crush- the breast hug. You see your crush and what better way to give the big chested hug. It involves a tight squeeze and a lot of chest action. The woman's arms should embrace the neck, while the man embraces around her waist. Give a flirty look or maybe a little wink while pulling away.

Hugging Your Significant Other- the compassionate hug. This hug is very similar to the breast hug, except there is much more compassion. The woman should rest her head on the mans shoulder and give a little squeeze of reassurance, the type that says, "I love you." This hug can last as long as you'd like without having that awkward factor.

Hugging A Friend Or Family- the crisscross hug. Friends and Family start with 'F' & so does Fun. So the goal is to enjoy the easiest hug! Usually you aim for more of a crisscross with your arms creating a sort of knot between the two of you. You may want to squeeze your friend or family, but be careful not to choke them, unless your intentions are to choke them, then you should slowly back away from the hug.

Hugging A Drunk- the freefall. This hug consists of a high pitched, "Heyyyyyyy!" and the person falling in to your arms because they can not keep themselves up. They'll wrap their arms around your neck while they throw majority of their body weight on you. Your goal is to keep them upright and make sure they make it out of the hug ok. This hug requires you to use some serious muscle.

Hugging Someone You Don't Really Want To Hug- the pity pat. We all get those people who really want to hug us for whatever reason. It can be difficult stopping someone in midhug so you have to suck it up and just do it. These dreadful hugs consist of 0 to 1 arm and the pity pat. Three pats is all it takes for them to get the clue.

Tips-

1. Don't hug someone if you are sweaty or you smell.
2. Don't prolong an awkward hug.
3. It is ok to talk during a hug.
4. Try not to squeeze too hard.
5. Don't confuse the hug-ee. If they are expecting the crisscross hug do not throw them off with the breast hug.

My Short Unfortunate Church Story

So I'm not a big fan of religion nor do I believe in it. I was born and raised a Catholic, going through the motions of receiving my sacraments because my parents told me so. As a child it's not like you have much of a say while your parents impose their beliefs on you. I remember attending religion classes and the hassle of going to church every week. As I got older, I started to believe less and less and somehow detached myself from God. Some reasons for doing so would be:

• The Religious Hypocrites- These were the people that preached the word of the Lord but were the greatest sinners of all. They did drugs, had sex before marriage, did not attend church, and so on. But somehow, they felt inferior because God forgave them, therefore, they were allowed to do these things and still receive the golden ticket to heaven.
• The Money Baskets- I always felt that it was about money. I remember seeing my priest driving a nice Mercedes, and there I was thinking, "My dollar went to that?!" Plus, the Catholic churches are very extravagant with beautiful artistic artifacts and gold being the primary color. It seemed luxurious and rich, very insincere and artificial- bourgeois.
• Loss of Faith- I just didn't fall for this God-ly figure. Majority of the people who attended Church believed God would light the way, or that God will save them. They just sat around waiting for God! But I felt that if you wanted to get stuff done, you needed to go out there and do it yourself.

So my decision was final and if I 'had' to put a label, I suppose it would be Atheist (although, I choose to just be nothing). My parents didn't seem to care because they were not practicing Catholics.

A couple of days ago I was walking past a church. I don't really pay attention to churches, they mix in with the other buildings so it's not like I stop and say, "Oh, look, a church!" But for some reason there was a litter of cats sitting around the steps. Now, I am a huge animal lover so it broke my heart to see them. My reaction to these cats went something like this:

HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!

You would have thought I was preaching the word of the Lord with the way I executed those 3 "Holy Shit's." As I stood pointing at the cats, my cousin stood in complete shock, knowing that I'm screaming this in front of the church. I didn't understand why she wasn't reacting the same way, so I was looking at her like she was the crazy one. It was like I was some Satanic figure screaming at the top of my lungs, as if not a care in the world. I somehow managed to mix "Holy" which was appropriate with "Shit" which was inappropriate. But that was my reaction and I couldn't help but laugh at the irony afterword.

Sadly, these starving cats will stay outside the church doors with lack of food and shelter, and I couldn't help but imagine the good ol' priest driving home in his Mercedes with the money basket filled to the brim, possibly also screaming happily, HOLY SHIT!

{Image by Jim Hutchison}