Toes not polished, blow out impossible today, car filled
with crumbs from the kiddos or skipped out on shaving today? Are there many
days when you ‘have it all together’? I am not talking about what society has
asked of you – NO…this feat is much more steep and almost impossible to accomplish:
it is the pressure from within. What you have told yourself you need to do in
order to be successful or be accomplished in your eyes? When is the last time
you have stopped to celebrate a recent goal being accomplished? A brave step
you took? A loving moment you chose to be in?
How about forgive yourself for not being perfect?
It isn’t easy to quiet the task master that lives inside our
minds, but it is worth the work. The rewards of emotional health and increased
happiness are priceless, not only to us, but to all around us depending on and
drawing from the well of our souls. When the golden rule was issued, it had a small
phrase on the end of it that goes completely unnoticed, yet is packed with
unending power.
Love others as you love yourself. (emphasis mine)
Sometimes I think it could be looked at as a statement instead
of a command. If we observe human behavior for more than a millisecond, we can
see that if someone is bullying others, they were usually being bullied themselves;
if someone is judgmental toward others, they are usually very hard on themselves;
if a parent demands perfection from their children, there is a good chance the
task master in their minds are demanding perfection as well.
How well are you loving yourself today? If you were to
record your thoughts, would you allow someone to talk to your daughter, niece or
mother that way? Even the act of respecting yourself enough to put up boundaries,
tends to free you to be a more loving person again – giving of yourself out of
cheerfulness and no longer out of obligation.
Here are my six admonitions I am striving to live by to love
the skin I’m in a little more today than I did yesterday:
1)
Take some of the pressure off! Give yourself a
day without makeup! Carve out ‘me’ time to do what brings you joy. If it
involves others who won’t cooperate, keep looking for those who are flowing in
the same river you desire to be in. If you focus long enough, you will see what
you desire show up like a magnet. Don’t fix your eyes on certain people and
trying to control them, but open yourself up to meet new people with which you
can enjoy life. This brings me to my next point.
2)
Admit you cannot control everything or anyone.
This is the first step in Codependents Anonymous and perpetuates the idea of
loving others well by not driving yourself crazy! When you face the reality
that you are powerless to control others, a pressure value releases and can you
make decisions clearly when you accept others’ choices and move forward. What
if moving forward involves something that scares me?
3)
Do it afraid! When you are excited and scared by
something, it usually is stretching you beyond your past and is a great way to
build a better tomorrow. You will miss so many wonderful moments and
opportunities if you refuse to move toward what makes you nervous. Go for it!
It will eventually be second nature and you will be ready for the next step of
spreading out your influence. What if you are bold and fall flat on your face?
4)
Give yourself permission to fail. Do you expect the
first time your toddler takes a step for him to be confident and sure of
himself? Absolutely not! Then don’t expect yourself to be a superstar right out
of the gate. Be realistic. Give yourself grace. Laugh a lot. But don’t give
into fear. Fear and regret are twin sisters that want to eat your lunch! Close
the lunchbox and walk on. It is not too hard!
5)
You are stronger than you know. This is a phrase
I yell out when teaching group fitness classes. When people want to quit, hearing
a voice that reminds them they have strength that will rise up under the right
circumstances, they begin feel invincible. That is what I am praying my words do
for you today: cause you to rise above your circumstances and see life in the
light of eternity. What really matters to your heart? What do you want to look
back on and be proud you gave your time and attention to? What is the next
right step that will move you in that direction? A majority of that is in your
mind.
6)
Watch what you say to yourself. Remember the ‘love yourself’ phrase from a couple of
paragraphs ago? When you begin to talk lovingly to yourself, being grateful of
what you have to offer to the world, your words begin to drip sweetness and
peace as well. Others love to be around those that know how to love themselves
well. That is where you will experience the natural overflow of loving others
well.
Deepen your well today. Press into tomorrow without beating
up on yourself today. It will come to pass if you just don’t give up, my
friend. Just don’t give up. You are much stronger than you know.
“Love the Skin You’re
In” is more than just a slogan for my mobile spray tanning business (Hot MamaMobile #hmm), it is a reminder to myself and all of us to be nicer, kinder,
gentler on ourselves. As if society didn’t put enough pressure on women, I
think we put even more pressure on ourselves to ‘do it all’ and do it looking
good. We spend so much time and energy on trying to look good and feel good
that we end up not giving ourselves to the causes that move our hearts as much
as we wish to. My mobile spray tanning business was formed in an effort to give
women some of their time back. I can be in and out of your home or office in 20
minutes with my spray tanning system. I never wanted to be a part of the system
that says you aren’t enough just the way you are. I wanted to be the
cheerleader that adds the ‘sparkle’ to your life, lifting your spirits and your
melatonin level without the risk of skin cancer. Yes, I believe whole heartedly
that you are enough just the way you are and if you decide you would like a
little color to enhance that natural beauty you radiate, call or text me at
864-707-1948.
