This was on my Dad’s Facebook under Favorite Quotations: “An old black man told me when I was 7 yrs old, (We called him “Mr. Sadler”) To be what you is! Don’t worry about what other people think about you. Don’t try to be something you’re not. That’s what I’ve lived by and raised my children by.”

And he did. I have always remembered my dad telling me the above story and quote, OVER and OVER. Not only did he and my mom raise me by “Be Who You Is,” it’s words I live by. I can’t be anyone else. I can only be me. I am who I am.

My other words to live by are:

“Dare to be” – taken from Say Anything when Lloyd tells his teacher, he is looking for a dare to be great situation. When I heard that sitting a movie theater (yes, I actually saw the movie in a theater), I tattooed into my brain. Last year, I tattooed Dare to Be on my arm. A constant reminder for me to dare to be anything I want.

“The Time Is Now” – taken from Jimmy Buffett’s “Breathe In Breathe Out Move On”. The song is a tribute to New Orleans after Katrina, but I love the lyrics “According to my watch, the time is now. The past is dead and gone. Don’t try to explain it, just nod your head. Breath in. Breathe out. Move on.” I also have this tattooed on my arm. Another constant reminder to not wait. The time is now. I must live in this moment and in this moment only.