Several weeks ago, I was able to participate as a female business owner in a career day event at a local school. The group that we interacted with are part of an after-school enrichment program for at-risk girls sponsored by the Girls Empowerment Network (GEN Austin).

The girls were all eight years old. They were excited and eager to ask questions, soak up everything by taking notes and repeated our mantras during a circle activity. One thing that struck me was how the girls were wise beyond their eight years on this earth despite their challenging personal stories.

At the start of our time together, they shared their "house rules/commandments" with all of us. The one that really resonated with me that can certainly be applied to all aspects of life was:

Don't yuck my yum!

It was such a sweet and simple statement. One of the girls explained how we are all unique and that we should respect our differences. She shared an example of a girl that announced to a group of other girls that she loved PINK HAIR. One of the other girls immediately responded: "I HATE PINK". She then declared, don't yuck my yum!

This experience made me think about how all of us are on different journeys in regards to beauty, self-care, and self-discovery. I was reminded of how much better I feel when I am living out my life authentically and am respectful and open to embracing the differences in others around me. Having a son with special needs opened my eyes to how unkind others can be (either knowingly or unknowingly) to people who look, act and seem different than themselves.

That young girl gave me hope that even though there are times where all I see are others yucking someone else's yum, there is always an opportunity to hold back, love more and respect one another no matter how different they may seem on the surface.

Thank you for being here. Do you have a story that you would like to share with me? Leave me a comment below or email me. I would love to hear from you.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.