Why does it seem that we are always defined by another person? I am a mother, sister, girlfriend, daughter, friend. Or when we aren’t defining ourselves by our relationships we are using our professions to define ourselves. I am a PR girl, financial planner, an accountant, etc.

Why do we let the other people in our lives and our professions define who we are rather than define ourselves by our passions, our dreams, our inner selves? I gave it a long hard thought and I think I know the reason why.

Ever since I saw Eat, Pray Love, I’ve been trying to think of what my word would be. How would I define myself if it wasn’t through another person or by my career? I realized I couldn’t.

We are the sum of many parts, that’s why we don’t have one word that defines us. Julia Roberts might have found her word at the end of Eat, Pray, Love, but I honestly hope that I never find a word that defines me. Because if I let myself be defined by just one word, no more – no less, then how am I to grow and evolve as a person?

I think we define ourselves by the places we are at currently at in our lives, recognizing that those words will change, that as we grow – so will our perceptions of life and of ourselves. I like that feeling. I like knowing that there is always something out there, something to search for.

I might be a woman searching, but it’s not for one word. I am searching for the lifetime of words that will one day be the words that define my life.

But they really love shopping. That’s where Vinings Jubilee comes in. This amazing shopping center just 8 minutes away from Buckhead is giving teachers the opportunity to win $100 to finance their back to school wardrobes. Each week Vinings Jubilee will be announcing the winner via Facebook. Labor day is the last day to enter, so visit http://www.viningsjubilee.com/teachers to enter yourself or your favorite teacher today.

After all the hard work our teachers have put into getting ready for the students, it’s time they got something too isn’t it?

Facebook has become a global phenomena. You can go on any website and like an article or post, websites are now being customized to your “personal settings” based on the information you share with them and it’s now easier than ever to get your life stolen via the internet. Here are some simple tips to make sure that you are safe on Facebook.

1. Do not use the year of your birth on your profile – besides do you really want your friends to know how old you’re getting?

2. Don’t share your personal information with other websites – this can be turned off by following these steps: Account -> Privacy Settings ->Applications and Websites (at the bottom).

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