I'm a huge Zooey Deschanel fan. Back in 2002 she was HILARIOUS in The Good Girl alongside Jennifer Aniston. It was my first exposure to her and my first initial thought was that this new girl (eh? eh?) could really hold her own in scenes with Jen, which was a fete in it of itself. She actually stole the show in my opinion. And it wouldn't be the first time. The next year Elf was released with a blonde Zooey showing off her singing pipes. I mean, WHO WASN'T CAPTIVATED BY HER VOICE?! I bought the Elf album just for her rendition of "Baby It's Cold Outside" and it's probably one of the most played Christmas Songs on my iPod. If a girl can shift the attention AWAY FROM Will Ferrell in one of his best roles, than she's a serious game changer. And I don't think anyone would disagree with me when I say she was the best part of 2008's Yes Man. When I found out she was staring in her own show (New Girl), I was ecstatic. Probably more than an acceptable amount. I've been glued to the show since the pilot and I'm an avid She & Him fan because like I said, her voice is purely captivating.
I think what people, myself included, like the most about her is that she's completely relatable. She's so genuine and real, it seems like she's someone you could meet in the nail polish isle at Sephora or at a dog park or could be an old friend from high school. She's unique; she sparkles in a world which can often lack luster. And maybe the best thing of all, she's a great inspiration and role model.
2. Find power within your femininity. Find power within who you are as an individual person. You don't need to look, dress or talk a certain way. Power comes from knowing who you are and embracing it. No one can give those things to you, you have to stand up and take it. Own it. And no one can stop you once you've done that.
3. I love the idea that through your breakdown comes your breakthrough. I really do believe that. We have to fall and fail and get hurt to become stronger, smarter and wiser. We need these experiences in our lives. It's like building a muscle; you have to literally tear the old muscle in order to re-build a stronger one. So bring on the pain, bring on the trials and the heartache and take chances that are scary. You can't fully live, can't fully appreciate all the good emotions without experiencing the bad ones too.
4. Have I mentioned that I love her? Just be yourself. It seems so cliche and so simple. But that's because it is. BE YOURSELF. Don't care what other people think or say. You know who you are. Love that person. Embrace her.
5. Beauty isn't something that fits into a box or onto a checklist. In fact, the uniqueness about each person is what makes them beautiful. And even more than that, their happiness. Have you ever met a person that was just sunshine and rainbows? That just smiled and laughed and made you feel warm and fuzzy? Those happy people are like gravitational pulls, they just bring everyone to them and make others feel good? They, to me, are the most beautiful. There isn't anything more gorgeous than someone who not only loves themselves, but loves other people. It's so contagious!
6. Never apologize for your quirkiness. Do things that are unexpected and make you laugh. Brighten the day of a stranger.
7. EMBRACE WHO YOU WERE AND WHO YOU ARE. I love being a nerd nowadays even though I never tried in school growing up. I love that most of my life I was a total tomboy but now I'm very much a "girlie girl". I'm more than just one thing; I'm a complex person full of contradictions and different faucets that don't normally fit together but somehow work with me. And I am totally okay with that. I'm okay with being weird and sometimes awkward and mostly immature and definitely always being a dork. Who we were and who we are directly connected.
8. I need to be more like her. I definitely follow my heart and my passions. But she has sort of a free-spirit vibe about her that I both adore and am jealous of. I am such a neurotic planner. Almost everything I do is calculated. Who I am and who I present to the world is thought about and monitored. I'm guarded, yes, because of things in my past, because somehow being calculated feels less risky and less vulnerable. But it's no way to live. Sure, it can be good in certain circumstances, but letting go, throwing caution to the wind and just being okay without a plan and just going with the flow, that's something I envy. It's just about finding a healthy balance between taking risks and playing it safe. That's what I'm working on.
9. I NEED THIS ON A MUG. I absolutely, 100% agree with this. I'm NOT a morning person. So talking a lot in the morning is just not my thing anyways. If I could be a functioning adult and not even get out of bed before 10, my life would be grand! But on a deeper level, life can be really difficult. Life can royally suck and it can be near impossible to get out of bed in the morning. It can be near impossible to find motivation some days to just deal with your life or things going on in it!
10. Always keep challenging yourself. I'm a person who just can't stay still, can't be stagnant. I love to learn and do and try new things. I think she's dead on here- challenging ourselves makes life enjoyable and adventurous. Plus, studies show that learning new skills in middle and late life can reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's!
11. Have your thing and stick to it. Not that you shouldn't explore yourself and try new things, that's not what I'm saying at all. But KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS, whatever they may be, and play them up and show them off! Like our friend Zooey, my favorite feature I have are my big eyes, though I *wish* they were green or blue most of the time. That's why you'll always find me with a bare minimum of liner and mascara on, because I actually like my eyes and they make me feel good! It doesn't have to be physical things either, whatever you love about yourself, whether it's your brains, your sense of humor, your cupcakes or your crazy air drum solo's in the car (eh, yeah...that's me too). Whatever it is, be confident in yourself and show it off girl!
12. YES!! WHO CARES!? No really, tell me, WHO CARES? Will you ever see them again? Most likely not. If they're people you do see on the regular, just remember, they're hiding things about themselves too. If everyone did what they actually WANTED to do, they would be SO HAPPY, they wouldn't WANT to criticize anyone else. BE BRAVE. And it's about time we all stopped critiquing each other and started complementing each other instead.
13. Safe and smart can be a good thing on occasion, don't get me wrong. But she's totally right, when we play it safe, we run a BIG RISK in never experiencing anything. Safe is boring. Dare to take chances, dare to dream, dare to love and live and be free! How much are you really living if you don't? And when you get to the end of your life, what do you think you'll regret most, taking those chances or NOT?
14. I suffer from the same addiction. It's like Carrie Bradshaw said, "I like my money where I can see it-hanging in my closet."
15. Making other people feel good, making them happy is a great goal. I feel the same way as her. If I can make someone (even a stranger!) smile or laugh or feel good about themselves, then I'm set, I'm happy. That's probably why I want to be a Psychologist. But we can do it, every day. You never know what people are going through silently, so wherever you may be, make their day, compliment them, make them smile, because guaranteed you'll be doing that as well.
16. I had to end on this one, because it's one of my favorites. I am exactly the same way. There's something about having on a polish that reflects your mood that makes everything in the world seem right. Okay, that might be a slight dramatization, but I don't feel right without my nails painted. It's like the lacquer completes me. Or at the very least, my outfit. ;)
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