A Twist on What I'm Loving Wednesday

If you read other blogs (which, I'm sure, you probably do) you might have noticed that many other bloggers participate in "What I'm Loving Wednesday."  I don't think I've ever posted a "What I'm Loving Wednesday" post, but I do enjoy reading them on other blogs.  Today I've decided to do a twist on "WILW" and discuss five things that I really love about myself.

I know on blogs, it seems like every blogger has a near-perfect life.  Blogs, to some extent, are like family holiday letters- you tend to only announce or discuss the good things in your life and you leave the bad out most of the time.  That said, one "bad" thing about myself is that I am extremely self-critical.  I don't know how much I buy into astrology, but at least in this case, I am a "typical" Virgo.  Virgos are said to be very hard on themselves and on others.  I fit this description.  I've also noticed that my younger cousin (also a Virgo) is very critical of himself.  I try to work on this with him whenever I see him and point out all the things that make him such a great kid!  His mom is trying to work on it with him, too, because I told her that I saw this characteristic of myself in him.

Anyway, my self-criticism can be a big problem for me.  I even criticize myself for being overly critical. (I only wish I was exaggerating.)  The self-criticism can be especially difficult for me because when others criticize me, I tend to build it up and make it bigger in my mind, and I only add it to the criticism that I put on myself.  Do you see where this is going?

So in an effort to focus more on the positive, I'm going to list five things that I really do like about myself.  Please feel free to join in via the comments section and tell me the things you like about yourself!

1. I'm a really good gift-giver.  People tell me all the time that I am great at picking out gifts for them and friends often ask me for advice on what would be an appropriate gift for someone else they care about.
2. I'm a great friend (most of the time). Sure, I have my faults as a friend (who doesn't?), but in general, I work very hard at being a good friend. For example, I try to always remember & recognize birthdays with a card in the mail.  Even though I may not be in regular communication with all my friends, I always enjoy catching up with them and value them so much.
3. I enjoy volunteering for volunteering's sake. I really enjoy giving back to my community and to others just for the sake of volunteering.  I enjoy meeting new people in the process and learning about the inspiring things going on around me. 
4. I have very discriminating taste. This could go along with number 1, but it is different in some ways. I would say that I have very good taste (other people have said this, too).  I am usually pretty on-point with picking out things that compliment each other and that are appropriate and functional for the intended purpose.  This applies to decor and also to fashion or ettiquette.
5. I obtain & retain facts easily.  I enjoy learning everything possible about the things around me in my job and in my personal life.  I'm usually pretty good about remembering these things as well.  As a result, people often come to me for "institutional memory" questions or ask me to explain things.  Also as a result, I'm a pretty damn good trivia player.

Please share what you love about yourself with me in the comments or with a friend today! Don't forget to love yourself as much as you love all the important people in your lives!