Hey friends! I hope your holiday was festive and filled with tolerable measures of insanity, indulgence, and inspiration.

I wanted to jump on the proverbial bandwagon, and post a brief collection of the KelseyToney.com posts from the last year that have meant the most to me for a myriad of reasons.

So, without further adieu,

…the memorable posts of 2010!!

January 21, 2010 – keeping it real (no, really.)

In this post, I discussed the self esteem crushing attitudes that I (and other bloggers) take on when we try to equate the number of subscribers, commenters, and or page views that we have on our blogs. One of the primary elements of my personality that I wish I could change, is my need for constant feedback. While my readership has continued to grow… despite my shortcomings in the arena of regular daily (or even weekly blogging), this blog has never had large amounts of comments. For whatever the reason. In this post I scrapped the notion that my worth, or the worth of my thoughts and feelings are measured by my blog feedback… and it felt great.

February 3, 2010 – KelsNotChels Rewind: Death to the Coin Laundromat

This post was just fun… it’s an excerpt from a 2004 livejournal entry in which I describe, in tragic detail how I managed to completely embarrass myself in the coin laundromat. Highlights include a male patron, and my skivvies combining in an anecdote I’m so glad to have chronicled.

February 10, 2010 – When they STOP mentioning it

This post is one that I REALLY hope you’ll go back and re-read if you’ve lost weight over the past few weeks, months, or years… because eventually… your friends and family will STOP complimenting you every time they see you, and you’ll just be you. And we have to… I mean HAVE to be okay when that influx of constant praise and encouragement is replaced with just regular conversation. This one is SO important to me, that upon reading it again tonight, I couldn’t believe I’d even written it. I’d like to copy and paste a few points here, just in case some of you have Forget-to-click-the-link-itis…

I am keeping three things in mind, to help me look inward for love and acceptance FIRST. I hope they will help you to love and appreciate yourself in all ways.

1. FIND it in others – Go out of your way to find the beauty, strength, efforts in others. Shower them with love and support. DOUSE them with praise and affirmation as often as you can. In my experience, that much love comes back to you, either in words, actions, good feelings, or self reflection. Finding those small, often unnoticed victories in other people helps us to see those same small glorious lights in our own lives. Essentially, practice makes perfect, and love breeds love.

2. FIND a routine – Every time I think about myself, think about my body, start/complete a workout, or look in the mirror, I try to say one of those things that would make me smile if a friend/coworker said it instead. The cheesier, the better, cause then I just end up laughing, and increasing my joy in two ways. Systematically works best, I’ve found. Either at the onset and completion of every workout, or each morning and night, scheduling it in my day, ensures that it isn’t left behind. Complimenting and encouraging myself is part of my daily routine.

3. FIND the hidden truth – Look for victories that no one else COULD celebrate. Triumphs that exist and are measured only in your own mind. No one else knows that it is the third day in a row you’ve not called yourself ugly, or the first time you’ve liked the way you look in your underwear. Those moments are yours, and only yours. Celebrate them, as you would any other joy, but keep it for your own. Special and personal, the praise you provide yourself for feats unspoken.

March 5, 2010 – Guest Post: More Than Series

This post was part of heather’s More Than Series… In it, I discussed how health and fitness was more than just about how much (or how little) I worked out, or how well I ate. For me, it was about how I treated myself. How I made sure that above all, I was HAPPY.

Because NO amount of fitness can take the place of happy.

April 6, 2010 – The Converse Effect

Man… Spring 2010 was one of GREAT learning for me. It’s a shame that I seem to have forgotten many of these lessons as fall has come and gone, and winter has set in…

This is flat out one of my favorite blog posts to date… I really, really want to tape it to my freaking wall…

“I’ve got to do what makes my heart happy… and if that means twice a day blogging… fine. If it means twice a month blogging… fine.

If that means, auditioning on a whim for a musical? FINE!

If that means that I get called scatterbrained or easily distracted… so be it.

You know what ladies? (and the few random men who might read…)

You should NEVER apologize for NOT BLOGGING.

I free you! I free you of non-blogging guilt! You don’t owe me an apology if you disappear from twitter for a few nights… you don’t owe me a damn thing.

We’ve ALL just got to do what we have to do! We need to do what makes us happy… Follow that whim! Take up that hobby!

EVEN IF its the 7th one you’ve taken up since January first… because in the end… our life is just a series of hobbies, activities, fleeting interests.

I am on a constant quest to stop caring about what other people think of me… and part of that, is doing whatever fleeting, flashing, shining thing pops in my head.”

April 28, 2010 – Flowers Just Bloom

This post is about a lesson I learned at Yoga, and how it made me want to be a more proud, shining, FULL me…

I was reminded that

“Flowers just bloom.

They don’t compare themselves to other blossoms.

They don’t want for more or less petals.

They don’t wish they were another color.

They don’t feel insecure if they open more quickly or slowly than another.

They don’t feel guilty if they’re more symmetrical or tall than another bud.

Flowers just bloom.”

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It isn’t lost on me that all of these posts are from the first HALF of the year… Let me just say that the second half of my year felt, as I see it now in hindsight, much less… victorious.

In the coming days, as I re-center, and refresh my heart in the bright shining potential of a new year, I’m sure I’ll talk to you about what I’ve been experiencing this fall and winter.

I thank you in advance for the love and support that I know you each continue to give by just sharing the journey with me.

xoxo