Image is nothing. That was the tagline for Sprite when I was a kid. That just stuck to my brain like glue. I loved that commercial. So simple, yet it is so powerful in the way it taps right into our basic human instincts - and it is everything I believe in, and aspire to be in life. Well, not that I aspire to be a can of soda exactly. It is the simplicity, the unpretentiousness, I find appealing in this "stripped-to-the-core-skip-the-emotional-pornography-BS" ad.
It just illustrates everything that matters: Humans are hedonistic beings, and when all is said and done, we are going to do what makes us FEEL GOOD.
There comes a point, when we have binged one time too many on the lies from a society that is driven by sick standards and ruthless motives that we feel sick to the core with all the shallow glossy ads telling us that happiness comes from a Botox injection, Agent Provocateur lingerie and a bright yellow Gallardo. Well, not that there is anything wrong with a Gallardo per se, I mean... if it is good enough for batman, who am I to complain. Afterall, we do need something for driving our surfboards down to the shore in, don't we... Bare essential really. Ok so I'm a sucker for fast cars. Anyway.
Back to the point. I am always amazed by the amount of insecurity and pretentiousness that contaminates the bare presence of people who supposedly have "made it". And God only knows they grow like weed in the city that never sleeps. Where everyone hungers for their 5 minutes of fame. And they will inject their lips with the fat taken out of their ass in their narcissistic vanity to win the fame game.
I just hope they understand, that somehow the clothes do not make the man. And that for every Armani suit and fake bleached smile, and Manolo stiletto there are 40,000 children starving.
So, ask yourself - what drives you in life? No, really ask yourself: What DRIVES you in life? Do you know it, or are you being driven by others motives and agenda perhaps.
Don't hate the player - hate the game, and refrain (from being part).
What if we were all the same; the shell that contains our soul was the same to the judging eye. The first impression - would be what? The scent. The voice. And then perhaps the actual contents of what we have to say.
And you wonder - all those people dealing with daily insecurities because of their bodily flaws according to our sick standards in society - would they blossom, when they no longer struggled with their imperfections? Would they find inner peace, if there no longer was anyone condemning them for their visible shortcomings? Would we in fact be flawless if we no longer strived for external perfection.
Sometimes I wonder: What if we left all judgement to God where it belongs. What if we stopped pretending that we have the answer. What if we stopped lying. Playing games. With others and ourselves. Games of deceit. Would we all win then? The thing we want the most - to win. Would we win back life if we stopped playing the game.
What would this world be like. If we all were naked - emotionally and in the same skin. Would we dare more, evolve more as humans, connect with our inner call, because the outside was out of our control and mattered not?
I found this inspirational list on MamaVision’s blog Found this list on Facebook written by Sarah and wanted to share. This just struck me as a really cool idea…add thoughts as they come about and read through them to reinforce positive reality. See list in process here
-Move forward eagerly, while embracing the now.
-I am free to choose to live as I wish and to give priority to my desires.
-Remember that your body only is not you. The sum of who you are is more important than your body.
-I’ll definitely remember who Stephen Hawking is – but not who won Miss Universe’s last contest.
-I am thankful for all the parts of my body that function correctly
-I appreciate all the movements that my body let me perform
-I am thankful for being able to touch, see, smell, hear and taste
-“I don’t ask for more: the sky above me and the path under my feet.”Robert Louis Stevenson
-Our physical body is a key part of our existence.
-I listen to my intuition.
She’s a marathon runner (on and off mostly since she’s in school now) and usually runs San Diego’s Rock n Roll Marathon, but couldn’t this year due to school. And we were saying how we should get my dad to run it next year since he’s lost like 15 pounds now since he stopped drinking. Then I said I would run it, the half marathon at least. And at first I was just kinda joking around and saying it, but now I think I should really stick with this goal. I want to start training and maybe I could actually run/walk the half marathon next year. I’m gonna have to really train though because right now I can only run/walk like half a mile to a mile, and a half marathon is 13.1 miles. But I have until next summer. So I’m going to try my hardest to get there! If any of you are training for races or marathons, tips would be very much appreciated on how to get started training and where I should be running wise at certain points in the year I have to train.
Help?
Today was the first day of my new, and hopefully permanent, lifestyle change. Well, almost. I’ve already been working on eating healthier, but I haven’t been as committed to exercise. So today, I woke up at 7:30 and got my fitness on!
Goal: Healthy, Happy, Beautiful. I want to be in my best physical condition; I want to have a flat sexy tummy before Micah comes home in approx. 3 months.
HEALTH - Tabloid Sores (Nosaj Thing Rmx)
Being on a low-carb diet means that your protein sources have to be as low in carbs as anything else you eat. If you eat meat, for example, you can only eat it breaded and fried if the breading is low-carb. The same goes for meatloaf, which typically has many more carbs than you would suspect. Not all meat is carb-free by itself, either. Read on to learn how to choose the protein sources you need without the carbs you don’t.
-If you eat meat, most cuts of beef, pork, poultry and lamb have less than a carb per serving. How you cook or prepare them can change that, however. Avoid any kind of liver or any internal organs, like chicken giblets. With the exception of ricotta, cottage cheese and Gjetost (or Brunost, as this brown Norwegian cheese is also called), cheese is also a good low-carb source of protein.
-If you eat fish and seafood, fish has no carbs. Seafood can, however. Oysters, mussles, clams and abalone can have the most. Still, the carb content for a modest serving is low. For example, 3 oz. of cooked Pacific oysters has 8.4 carbs.
-If you do not eat meat, fish, or seafood, try seitan. It has the highest amount of protein of the vegetarian meat substitutes. Plus, it is a good source of iron and has little fat and no cholesterol. You can make seitan at home; but you can also buy it at a natural foods store. Use it as you would beef. You can buy a chicken-flavored seitan, as well. Another good source of protein is tofu.
-Drink soy milk for extra protein. Choose one without sweetening so that you can have the benefits of soy protein without unnecessary carbs.
-Don’t forget to eat your vegetables. They have protein, too. Beans and peas have as much protein as the same amount of tofu. Broccoli and asparagus have half as much protein as the same amount of tofu.
While the Congressional Budget Office has said that only 7 percent of employees currently covered by employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) will have to switch to subsidized-exchange policies in 2014, a McKinsey survey which included more than 1,300 employers found that about 30 percent of employers will definitely or probably stop offering ESI after 2014, when Affordable Care Act will come into effect. The survey also found that at least 30 percent of employers would gain financially if they did not offer ESI benefits, and more than 85 percent of employees would remain at their jobs even if their employer stopped offering ESI, although about 60 percent would expect increased compensation.
Read More from McKinsey Here.
While the Congressional Budget Office has said that only 7 percent of employees currently covered by employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) will have to switch to subsidized-exchange policies in 2014, a McKinsey survey which included more than 1,300 employers found that about 30 percent of employers will definitely or probably stop offering ESI after 2014, when Affordable Care Act will come into effect. The survey also found that at least 30 percent of employers would gain financially if they did not offer ESI benefits, and more than 85 percent of employees would remain at their jobs even if their employer stopped offering ESI, although about 60 percent would expect increased compensation.
Read More from McKinsey Here.
Medic Mobile Announces The First Mobile SIM App For Healthcare
SIM apps can operate on 80% of the world’s phones from $15 handsets to Android smartphones – and Medic’s new implementation of this technology brings data collection to a new level of accessibility and affordability.
Mosquitoes are responsible for killing about a million people, mostly children, every year. Malaria, dengue fever and West Nile virus are just a sampling of the lethal packages the six-legged creatures are capable of delivering.
But researchers at UC Riverside and the National Institutes of Health have identified an odor that can confuse mosquitoes and camouflage their prey. Find out more.
That was my first reaction to Italian Vogue with the new June cover consisting of lingerie lounging curvy plus-sized women. No doubt they look gorgeous and confident on this cover, however, usually this size would be described as obese in the fashion industry.
Well, then, if this is obese then I don't know why we are fighting the obesity epidemic - because quite frankly these chicks look pretty damn hot.
I always get this suspicious feeling when I read yet another headline stating that "they are now all for curves" in one of those skeleton high-fashion magazines; considering that the average runway model has a BMI of 16, and the size of their thighs resemble my right arm.
I mean, HELLO! Seriously, if you think Gisele is curvy, then I don't want to see skinny.
Really, what is this... Is this fashion or sickness being exploited?
Voluptuous can be far more alluring than the stick straight waifs we’re so accustomed to seeing in magazines and on runways.
Many of the women who have a few extra kilos are especially beautiful and also more feminine.
Flipping through this issue is the cure for anyone who thinks curves are a curse.
While curves are hot, you still want to make sure that the type of fat in your body does not promote cellulite nor release of inflammatory producing cytokines.
But really, the secret to looking great in a bikini is to know what flatters you - right NOW! A great body can look absolutely terrible in the wrong cut bikini. And if you are among the 90% of women trying to shed some pounds for the coming season, you will most likely fall victim to boy-shorts and other disaster cover-ups that only makes your derriere look like it needs a zip-code of its own. Really, not the type of real-estate you want to look like you're investing in these days: The market is not buying.
Miraculous bikini by Victoria's Secret
Instead, do the opposite: Don't cover up your curves, accentuate what you got. If you got it, flaunt it. Simple, really. Covering things up only make them seem bigger... as in all areas of life.
So being driven by vanity, yet in need of functionality for surfing and after years of trying this and that, here are the top 3 things to look for in a bikini that will accentuate your curves in a positive way, whether you got a skinny flat ass or some serious junk in the trunk.
1. Choose a low-rise bottom; it makes your derriere look smaller, but rounder and curvier at the same time. The Brazilians know it. And it looks hot. End of story.
2. Choose bikini straps that tie around your neck for max cleavage and support when running around and engaging in water sports.
3. Choose light & bright colors that clash with your sun-tan. Black bikinis are boring; polka-dots and prints are feminine and take focus away from less-than-perfect body-hang-ups such as cellulite, scars etc.
This summer I love the polka-dotted miraculous bikini from Victoria's Secret. It's comfortable and gives great support when running around the beach surfing and playing volley-ball. And there is a sentimental streak of naivety to it as those polka-dots remind me of the fifties. Totally adorable. Gotta love it.
I often think of myself as “average-sized,” although no such thing really exists, does it? Every woman has her own distinct figure and naming someone or a certain body type simply “average” isn’t very defining or complementary at all. I could be curvy in one perspective, or “small enough” in another, and that’s one of my demons I have to battle with - not knowing what to consider myself, not knowing what to think of myself, or what to do about it. Do I diet? Do I go to the extent to starve? Do I mindlessly eat whatever I desire? This is the everyday fight these days.
To this day, after almost a year of my ever-changing confidence and heavy-as-cinder-blocks insecurities, I still don’t know how I see myself. Something I think I don’t see is that perspective is perspective, and that’s always going to differ beyond my control. I feel like my body is art, everyone’s body is art. I’m only built once, so what would be the point of de-constructing myself while I’m healthy? It is senseless when I am well aware of the consequences and the guilt.
Yet sometimes I still dream of it. That’s crazy to say since for a very short time I knew exactly what it was like until a binge that I felt terrible and emotional about. There were others, but that one in particular was worse than ever. I spent the night laying in my bed under my covers, with nothing but the lava lamp on, listening to a version “Videotape” by Radiohead over and over again. I’ve left the point a bit, but what’s important is that I’m not there, because otherwise I would be miserable and have sunk deeper into that darkness.
I suppose the overall point of my unleashing these thoughts right now is that every body is individually crafted from the rest of the world, and I should feel blessed and content with what I do have. If I intend to change, I should at least respect it enough to do it in a way that won’t harm myself. Besides, if I’m not even happy with what I’ve got right now, I won’t even notice the changes once I get what I thought was “desired.” For now, all I should desire is what I see in the mirror right now. The person underneath the foundation, the curly after-bun hair, and even the clothes.
(Remember to turn off the music player at the bottom of the right sidebar, before watching this clip)
Does this make you want to drink Pepsi? That car. That stare. That hair. ...Heck yeah!
This is such a classic - and I adore Cindy, as she has that timeless class and confidence about her. The power of her is so strong that whatever she does, you want to do it too. And don't give me that "Not me! I'm above emotional manipulation!" Darling, you are tricking yourself. No one is above being driven by their emotions; it's all about whether we are conscious of the game or not. That can is going to be in your hand next time you grab something from the minibar. Although, it's not going to satisfy your thirst for passion...
Use the power of emotions to add passion to whatever you value in life. Passion is what draws people in. Passion is what makes people copy you and your actions. And that is ultimately the goal in life: To do something worth having others copy.
Never forget the power of action vs. empty words. People do what they see you doing, not what you say. Whether it comes from a can or you're on a quest to save the planet.
Choose your passion and others will follow. Passion leads to fatal attraction.
What is the trait that you most deplore in others?
Think about it - because typically what we despise in others is our own dark side.
I.e. I couldn't care less about jealousy; likely because I don't have a jealous bone in my body (inasmuch as this is humanly possible anyway). However, I absolutely deplore pretension. The very scent of pretension just makes my hair stand up on my neck. Pretension comes in many forms. Pretending to be perfect. Pretending to be infallible. Pretending to be strong.
I used to be terrified of being weak; thinking that if people ever found out I had any sign of weakness/vulnerability within me, they would walk all over me and I would fall apart in a million pieces, never to be whole again. Well, newsflash: People will walk over you regardless, but only if you allow them to. And no, you will not fall apart. It may hurt, but time heals all wounds, and eventually you figure out, when people hurt you it is only because they are hurting; it has little to do with you.
Ironically, coming off as if you can't break, makes people want to see what your breaking point is even more. I guess it is part of human nature to be somewhat sadistic and to keep pushing the limits. If you don't set boundaries in life, then people can't respect them and won't know before they have already crossed the line. Pretending to be infallible is a recipe for a disaster, as you will none stop get attacked to prove you wrong.
Keeping it real: Connecting with your feelings...
The most obvious example being when we are kids: Those who bawl over everything and nothing get the most attention. And those who bite the pain and never shed a tear get none. As much as I dislike drama and hypochondriacs, fact is that it is rarely those loudmouths that end up suicidal. It is always those quiet ones who cry in silence, never show their pain and thus never receive the love and care that every living creature needs in order to survive in this world. If you don't show your vulnerability, no one will know that you need nurture. You can't expect people to read your mind. And so you die - your pride ends up killing you. First emotionally dead and later... physically, however you decide to go about it before your time is up.You can change this unhealthy pattern. Risking vulnerability helps you remain sane - and yet, what prevents you from risking vulnerability is that you THINK you risk sanity. You need to remain sane enough to think rationally, and not rape everyone with your ever-changing feelings like another drama queen; yet it is key for your survival that you stay in tune with your feelings and show your needs. Otherwise no one can give you what you need in life. And bottom line is that makes everyone unhappy.
All humans have weakness - because without weakness their would be no strength, so pretending that you have none, is pretending that you are something you are not: Flawless.
The people who are often the most inspiring are those who dare be emotionally naked and show the scars that most of us hide behind our designer clothes.
If you risk nothing, then what is there really to admire? You are a scaredy cat: Hiding behind a shell, playing it safe. You are painting a pretty picture, but it is not real. It is an illusion that no one can connect with. You are guilty of adding more disconnectedness and loneliness into the world.
You are deceiving yourself... Lies. All those little white lies are slowly eating you up. Weakness comes from covering up who you really are.
You think you are such a pro, because you are so careful in covering up your true self, that no one knows your fakeness? Everyone knows; except those dimwits who are also part of the same fame game. You can always sense pretentiousness from a far... it is not what you say; somehow people who disconnect from themselves have something about them that is so repelling in spite of the image they master to portray like an illusionist. But as anyone knows: Tricks are for kids. And it is so obvious for anyone not completely brainwashed by MTV that those who spend fortunes on designer clothes, hair salons, nails and what have you - always looking immaculate: Making sure that there is no outer sign of imperfection; they are seriously messed up on the inside. Otherwise they would not need to be so obsessed about perfecting their shell. This also explains why just about every celeb/model is either on drugs or suffering from borderline personality disorder. And more often than not: Both - and then some. That sort of narcissism brings sickness in its waters. Not a pretty sight.
You can't change what you don't know: Knowing your weaknesses enables you to prevent you from reaching your breaking point in all areas of life.
In my work as a Life Stylist I often use a SWOT analysis to help design the life that my clients long for. This tool often used in business is valuable as it helps to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats when organizing and mapping out how to achieve the goals you want in life.
You can download this tool here and email it back to us when making your appointment.
Marilyn knew the power of emotional pornography: Make people THINK you like them. Unfortunately, faking your feelings and manipulating others do not lead to happiness; she ended up the mistress and ending her miseries in an overdose. With a smile, I am sure.
I have often wondered why it is that she smiles at every joe that passes her way? It is certainly not based on her finding them attractive, more often than not she admits to finding them repulsive. What drives these fake smiles, is that she so desperately wants to be liked. It has nothing to do with whether she likes someone or not. She just wants them to like her. And they do; or rather they like the fact that someone likes them (...). Both driven by vanity and insecurity they suffocate each other in smiles, niceties and hollow flattery only because they crave the attention, the affirmation that they are worthy of the attention. The only reason they compliment is to hear it back, the only reason why they smile, is to be smiled back at, the only reason they stay is to receive flattery. Words so empty and without meaning. Their being nice is actually an act based on selfishness. NOT that there is anything wrong with being nice. You might as well add some hope to a world drowning in pain, and in many cases something like just being there, being present means everything. But motive is everything. You cannot hide your vain ego behind a shallow smile and old lines. And there is nothing more distasteful than to witness someone lying through their teeth out of vanity.
And that is why I so firmly believe that the first step to getting the body of your dreams and gaining attractiveness, is to FEEL great in your own skin. Because a great body will follow. And everyone deserves to feel comfortable in this skin.
Los Angeles is infamous for its not-yet-out-of high-school boob jobs and model/actress/waitress Barbie dolls.
New York is known for its fair share of Botox filled ladies-who-lunch-and-only-god-knows-what-else gold-diggers.
These godforsaken cities filled with man-made creations, gravity defying skyscrapers and the obsession with anti-aging, have such a draw to them that whatever goes on in the rest of the world, and however messed up their respective economies may be, they remain the capitals of the world. A weird love-hate relationship has always existed when it comes to New York and Los Angeles.
Either you love what they stand for or you absolutely hate it. There is no middle-ground. Everything is taken to extremes. That goes for the quest of ultimate bodily perfection as well.
So much time, money and energy is spent on perfecting what was perfect to start out with from the hands of our creator - quite frankly it is insulting. On so many levels.
Extreme measures, such as risking the dangers of liposuction with a body-fat% already below the thirties and Botox injected in girls in their twenties driven by vanity, insecurity and oftentimes a generous amount of self-hatred, is not based on respecting your body; it is abusing your mind and soul and disconnecting from true meaning - losing yourself along the way.
And that always makes me want to say, “You know, your face is fine, but you’ll have to put a bag over that personality… because that is just one uglyass personality.”
30 % of women would trade at least one year of their life to achieve their ideal body weight and shape.
Kelly Brook: Does having a slamming body equal happiness?
Latest research conducted for new eating disorder charity The Succeed Foundation, in partnership with the University of the West of England (UWE), has found that 30% of women would trade at least one year of their life to achieve their ideal body weight and shape. The research has also found that in order to achieve their ideal body weight and shape:
-- 16% would trade 1 year of their life -- 10% would trade 2-5 years of their life -- 2% would trade 6-10 years of their life -- 1% would trade 21 years or more of their life
The survey conducted at British Universities by Dr Diedrichs also discovered that in order to achieve their ideal body weight and shape, 26% of the women surveyed were willing to sacrifice at least one of the following:
-- £5000 from their annual salary (13%) -- A promotion at work (8%) -- Achieving a first class honours degree (6%) -- Spending time with their partner (9%) -- Spending time with their family (7%) -- Spending time with their friends (9%) -- Their health (7%)
The survey results suggest that body dissatisfaction was common among the women surveyed, with 1 in 2 women saying that more needs to be done on their university campus to promote healthy body image.
-- 46% of the women surveyed have been ridiculed or bullied because of their appearance.
-- 39% of the women surveyed reported that if money wasn't a concern they would have cosmetic surgery to alter their appearance. Of the 39% who said they would have cosmetic surgery, 76% desired multiple surgical procedures. 5% of the women surveyed have already had cosmetic surgery to alter their appearance.
-- 79% of the women surveyed reported that they would like to lose weight, despite the fact that the majority of the women sampled (78.37%) were actually within the underweight or 'normal' weight ranges. Only 3% said that they would like to gain weight.
-- 93% of the women surveyed reported that they had had negative thoughts about their appearance during the past week. 31% had negative thoughts several times a day -- When asked which celebrity has the perfect body Kelly Brook came top of the list. Let's hope she found happiness and not just another Botox needle addict.
Looking great and feeling great do go together, as it shows when you treat your body with respect. But exchanging years of life for perfection screams out loud that we are not connecting the dots: If you fail to heal your inner wounds and the reason why you are struggling with emotional eating, then you will end up a shallow, hollow shell with little else to offer than firm buttocks. And when all is said and done... we all end up like raisins in the end. So finding that internal happiness before you pursue the body of your dreams should always come as step 1.
That is why a Life Stylist is key to make for lang-lasting change and permanent weight-loss success. When you radiate happiness from within it shines through. And you will want to treat your body with respect. Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/221215.php 05 Apr 2011
He is a 10. There is no doubt about it - judging objectively. Everything speaks to his favor: Ripped abs - check. Strong masculine jawline - check. Facial symmetry - check. He falls under that tall, dark and handsome category. Every time he comes by, the girls are throwing themselves at him - coyly giggling and fluttering their eyelashes to catch his attention. And yet, when asked what I thought about said guy, I blurted out "Him? Why, he is UGLY!". Very classy, yes I know.
However, I was genuinely puzzled that anyone could find him attractive - after analyzing his features, well, it makes sense on paper, that he should be gorgeous. The thing is I find him truly ugly. Now the paradox here lies in that I know people who have terrible features - on paper - and yet I would never in a million years think them ugly. Because they are not - in my opinion; even though yes, they may be overweight, yes they may have asymmetrical features and no, they may not dress in Armani power suits. Yet, my initial reaction to this guy, who does everything in his power to live up to this image of what an attractive male should look like, was that he is drop-dead-ugly.
Simply because he is VAIN. He tries too hard. And that makes me suspicious: What is it that he is trying to hide underneath those layers of ripped abs and that perfectly groomed hair? What is his dark secret? He comes off as a fake. He is not authentic. He comes off as someone who is not comfortable in his own skin, and thus needs to hide his true naked self; spending hours in the gym making up for his shortcomings.
David Beckham: Driven by vanity?
It's like David Beckham vs. George Clooney. Who is the more attractive in your opinion?
George Clooney: Driven by passion
You know Beckham has better abs. And he is taller. He is younger. He is stronger. But he tries too hard - an attention whore mesmerized by his own reflection. Only using his fame to feed his ever-growing ego and endless between-the-sheets escapades. In stark contrast to Clooney who understands how to use his fame for a greater good serving others, and then stand from it.
Or Cindy Crawford vs. Pamela Anderson. Who is the more attractive here?
What is she making up for with those plastic-fantastic curves...
The naked truth: Genuinely strong yet fragile. Confidence in motion.
You know Pamela has better curves. And yet... she comes off as a complete rip-off compared to Cindy, who admittedly has some cellulite on her derriere. But it just doesn't matter in the grande scheme. She is authentic. She is confident. She is who she is. Take it or leave it.
But someone who spends fortunes on pumping up the volume of their curves? Vanity. And that is ugly. Vanity is based on a mix of insecurity, pride and selfishness with an inability to show gratitude. A very ugly combination of traits, really. From that perspective, it makes sense that vanity is one of the seven sins. If you think that what you achieve in life is all due to your own glory and vain ego you will hit the ground hard one day.
I remember George Clooney saying in an interview with regard to whether he felt "proud": "You are never quite as good as they say you are, when they say you're good. And you are never quite as bad as they say you are, when they say you're bad."
That is being confident, yet not vain: He knows what he's got and not. And that is attractive.
Tacky? Why yes. Let me rephrase: Are you comfortable in your own skin? Because that is basically what it boils down to. Being comfortable in your own skin seems for many to be a feeling long forgotten; left in the innocence of childhood, when our bodies only served as a vehicle for play.
In an attempt to regain that sensation of being complete many search for easy solutions... giving in to diet pills and the plastic surgeon's promise that he will make our lives bliss if we get that lift.
He can fix us. Make us perfect. Make us whole again. Just take it off and lie down on his table. Inhale and when you wake up... your life will be complete. Trust him.... after all, he is a doctor.
Broken promises soon to be... exchanging your Amex for a frozen empty stare. And your husband still has an affair. So much pain. So many lies. Is that all there is? You wonder.
Maybe you should have had that liposuction too - your ass has been heading south lately. Vanity. It kills.
Being comfortable in your own skin has little to do with achieving perfection. Being comfortable in your own skin comes from living a life of integrity. Being able to look yourself in the mirror. Knowing that every decision you make is based on the values you have in life. Now I am not saying that life is going to be easy, because it is not. Life is not easy. But the first thing, and most important thing you can do, before trying yet another gimmicky diet in your quest for long legs and amazing abs, is to treat yourself with respect and write down a clear-cut list of your values and beliefs in life. What are you passionate about? Where do you see yourself in two years from now? WHO do you want to be? What are the values that you want to represent? And then simply make sure that every decision is based on matching your values in life. When you know your values, everything else falls in to place, because your values serve as your inner compass when making decisions.
Don't get me wrong here: I am all for the beauty that life has to offer, but how you chose to get there makes for a very different outcome. If your quest for long legs and skin-of-an-18-year-old is based on unhappiness and fear of loneliness you will find yourself very dissappointed after you leave the plastic surgeon's office. He can't fix your belief system or screwed value set. Only you can.
I have yet to meet an attractive person who has been under the knife. Unhappiness and frozen gazes are not attractive. Accepting your imperfections (whatever that is compared to the latest airbrushed flavor of the month on the cover of VOGUE) is... hot. Confidence is hot. Knowing what you got and not is hot. Not caring what other people think is hot.
You can't please everybody, so you might as well accept that this is the body God gave you and life is now. A funny thing happens when you stop focusing on fear and what you don't want in life: It vanishes. But first, you have to let go of fear. Until you do, you will be stuck; constantly attracting into your life what you are afraid of.
It takes courage, but that is the only way out: Accepting that nothing is perfect. And THAT somehow just makes everything in your life perfect. Ironic, indeed.
What do you tell yourself when you look in the mirror in the morning?
What do you tell yourself when you stray from your diet of deprivation and reach for that thick decadent slice of chocolate cake?
What do you tell yourself when you read through the latest airbrushed VOGUE?
What do you tell yourself when you can't fit into those size screaming-starvation skinny jeans?
What do you tell yourself when your husband has an affair with his botox-filled secretary?
What do you tell yourself when your wife leaves you for a boy-toy 10 years younger than you with ABS so ripped you could cut yourself?
What you tell yourself on a daily basis determines your future... your ability to perform in life... to take risks... to dare believe and go after your dreams.
If what you tell yourself every day is contaminated by the mistakes you made in the past, how can you ever change. You are repeating and reenforcing the fears from your past on a daily basis. You are wiring your brain to enforce these thoughts and perceptions of yourself.
Thoughts are powerful as they trigger emotions, and emotions lead to actions. It's called NEUROPLASTICITY - the science of how you can CHANGE your BRAIN!
What you tell yourself every day, beginning from when you wake up and look in the mirror in the morning, determines what the future has in store for you.
If you think you are a failure - you will perform as one.
If you think you have what it takes to make it, you are right as well.
Whatever you think - you are right: You are what you THINK you are!
Mistakes are not indicators of what the future will bring - only if you keep repeating them and focus on the past will this hold true for you.
Focus on where you want to be; what you want to achieve.
Mistakes are simply learning experiences... you tried something, and well, this didn't work out right for you, so what do you do next? Well, you try something new. And at some point, some time, somewhere down the line you will find your path... the one that brings back that sense of flow to your life where you are able to just be. Be yourself. Be in that moment. Knowing that you have everything within you already. You are unique. You have something that can make the world a better place.
The first step is to believe that you have what it takes. because you do. We all have unique skills and there is someone out there who needs each one of us.
No one is obsolete.
No one is of lesser value.
STOP measuring yourself with ideals that do not exist.
STOP telling yourself all those negative and condescending things that you would never in a million years tell anyone else!
STOP the insanity and start treating yourself with the respect you deserve as a human being and others will do so too.
However, if you treat yourself like a trashcan how can you expect others to treat you with dignity and respect? They will repeat what they see - they will treat you the way they perceive you to be.
The no. 1 reason why people fail to move forward and be that person they want to be, is that they get stuck in the past repeating old destructive behaviors over and over .....and over... yet expecting something different to happen.
Well, I got news for you... if you keep doing the same mistakes you will only reenforce that sense of failure that is lurking in your subconscious.... that whisper in your head that tells you over and over again, "You will never make it... you are too weak... you just don't have what it takes... you were born to fail... that is why your husband, wife or whatever... is cheating on you. You don't deserve to be loved... you are not worth it".
When working with behavioral changes; this really makes me very sad: What people oftentimes tell themselves repetitiously on a daily basis based on their upbringing or some random remarks from high-school that just got stuck in their head like a music player on repeat. Mind you, some of these people are 50+ and yet their thoughts are contaminated by some random events that happened when they were teenagers.
Remember the past is over and done. Everything else is up to you. The future is what you want it to be....
"You have a clean slate every day you wake up. You have a chance every single morning to make that change and be the person you want to be. You just have to decide to do it. Decide today's the day. Say it; This is going to be my day."
- Brendon Burchard, Author
Say it: TODAY is going to be my day! Feel it. Envision it. Believe it.
NB: Turn off the music in the right sidebar, before watching this clip.
This video for Calvin Klein Collections Spring 2011 intrigues me.
What are they selling here? Emotions. The search for perfection... bliss... timelessness... eternal youth... love.... beauty.... all our basic needs will be met if we buy this product. That is, only if we have empty, shallow lives will we be tempted to give in to this kind of emotional pornography.
If you have found what is already within you... a sense of peace... calmness... the ability to taste a ripe fig... savoring the flavors.... watching the sun while it sets in the horizon.... being mesmerized by how the leaves change with the season. Just being able to be.... then you won't need what they are falsely selling here. Because what you need... everything is in you already... you have the power to change... a different life... one that is full and rich is within your grasp... waiting for you to take that first step....
You are not alone. Others have gone before you. Pain is universal, but you can turn your pain into beauty, wisdom and knowledge... but you have to take that first step to let go of self-destructive behaviors.
Oftentimes when I ask my clients to tell me why they have come to see me, they will respond with "because I want to be healthy".
Hmmhmm....really?
Does that motivate you?
Can you FEEL it?
Because quite frankly my dear, I can't.
Yes, there I said it. Healthy is boring. End of story. What is NOT boring, however, is what DRIVES you to want to get healthy...
What is it that you want to be able to DO... ?
What do you want to FEEL like?
What do you want to LOOK like?
Which PEOPLE do you want to be surrounded by?
Where do you want to be in the morning when you WAKE UP?
And whose face do you want to see at night before you CLOSE YOUR EYES?
Now these are the things that drive me in life. Every day. Every waking moment. This is what matters.
And whether you realize it or not, these things are also what matter to you. After all, we are only human and our basic needs are still the same.
It is important that you get real about where you want to be in life - and plan it. Because if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
For me, the best way to keep me reminded of what matters in my life, is focusing on surfing. This combines my need to be in touch with nature, having a healthy and strong body that is able to ride a wave and simply being in a state of flow... where nothing matters... there is nowhere I need to be but right here... in this very moment... listening to the waves crash on the shore and feeling the rays of the sun on my skin. And for that, I am grateful.
And when I am not in Cali grabbing my surf board, but am stuck in the city that never sleeps aka New York, then I day dream... reminding myself of what truly matters in life...
Cindy Crawford has always been one of my favorite role models.
She has smarts.
She exudes class.
And well... she looks great naked!
Crawford is different from other pretty faces today, in that she radiates health and happiness... the energy is just contagious. Even if she doesn't have the most perfect cheek bones or whatever, what you notice is that her inner beauty outshines her outer beauty. That is what makes her unique. And that is something all those newcomers will never achieve by starving themselves into a size 0 and going to the plastic surgeon - that inner glow that goes beyond skin depth and sets you apart from the shallow masses comes from having a healthy relationship with your body. It's about respect, integrity and values.
Crawford is the epitome of A STRONG MIND IN A STRONG BODY!
And that is HOT: combining femininity with integrity and strength never goes out of style.
Calista Flockhart has long been speculated to suffer from Anorexia. Although she has vehemently denied those speculations in the past, she admitted in an interview after finishing filming The Ally McBeal Show, that a grueling work schedule, made her stop wanting to eat. Flockhart says, "I was seriously stressed. I was working 15-hour days on the set and then I was dealing with the end of the show, which was basically my life. I started under-eating, over-exercising, pushing myself too hard and brutalizing my immune system. I guess I just didn't find time to eat."
Here is the thing: how people respond to stress is based on how their brain is wired. Your stress management skills, the way you perceive life and your personality traits reveal how your brain is wired.
Just as Britney Spear's deficiency of serotonin sets her up for binging behaviors, Calista Flockhart's behaviors reveal that she is disposed to have an excess of serotonin.
Brain chemicals need to be balanced - a surplus of any one neurotransmitter is just as health threatening as a deficiency. So, which key things stand out that reveals that Calista has an excess of serotonin?
Anxiety (chronic stuck in fight or flight mode)
Obsessive compulsive behaviors (counting, exercising, washing your hands over and over again etc.)
Perfectionistic
Rigid
Structured
Hyperactive
Feeling stuffed after especially carbohydrate rich meals
Always pushing yourself
Distorted bodyimage
Inability to relax and calm down - always running around or fidgeting.
Passive-aggressive
So what is the natural reaction to help calm down an overexcited central nervous system due to elevated serotonin levels? Well, you begin to starve yourself - because restricting (especially carbs), depletes serotonin - and you begin to feel a bit more comfortable in your own skin.
Starvation becomes your addiction, because you use it to cope with emotions and control your mood. Any weight restoration program or recovery program that does not take this into consideration is bound to fail, due to the simple fact, that eating foods that do not match your brain and biochemistry type will set the individual up to become wired and overload the brain with serotonin. Thus the fear of feeling worse when eating is enforced and you go back to starving yourself to feel somewhat better. However, if you know which nutritional strategies to take in order to balance those chemicals, then you will experience that you can actually feel better while in recovery. And ultimately, a stable brain chemistry enables you to focus on other things that are much more important than weight, looks and the size of your neighbors thighs. When you FEEL good, you will automatically LOOK good! It's about understanding how to treat what is causing you to feel and look like trash. Once you understand why you are acting the way you are, and that you are NOT nuts - but your brain chemistry is - then you are on the path to a STRONG MIND in a STRONG BODY. Effortlessly and permanently!
You are welcome to contact The Nutrition Doctor to hear more about what we can offer you on your path to recovery! Take care of yourself - life is short!
Eat, Breathe&Love Christina Santini Medical Nutritionist & Lifestyle Coach Specializing in Biopsychology
And that for every Armani suit and fake bleached smile, and Manolo stiletto there are 40,000 children starving.
Mosquitoes are responsible for killing about a million people, mostly children, every year. Malaria, dengue fever and West Nile virus are just a sampling of the lethal packages the six-legged creatures are capable of delivering.
