HOW BLING BLING DIVINELY ALIGNED HER WAY HOME ….

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This is a story about Law of Attraction at its finest, Divine Alignment, Divine Right Timing aka Divine Synchronicity and about believing that the Universe is truly working for our Highest Good at all times.

I ended last year on a high note when, among other lovely things, I received a completely UNEXPECTED dividend from a VERY long-term investment, and I’m not just talking financial dividend – there was a lot of emotional and spiritual dividends returned here as well.  But, that’s a whole ‘nother story!   For now, the important part for this story is that it was a stunning confirmation from the Universe to stick to our guns and our intentions and our Polyanna “I Believe In Miracles” attitudes!

A lot of deep and profound shifts have taken place for many of us the last few months, and that includes me.  Part of the change in vibrational energy for me has been an expansion and deepening of my belief in miracles and my belief in MY POWER to manifest them!  A power which we all have by the way!  I am only an example!!!

As I mentioned a lot of vibrational shifts have been taking place and for some of us, this new year has brought a desire to change things around our home.  Move furniture, redecorate, declutter, etc.  That vibe started burning a hole up my butt in early December and my unexpected dividend later in the month, made some options available to me that had not been previously possible.  As a result I’ve been a whirlwind of HGTV activities!

But . . . I believed I was a wee short on people to assist me with projects that needed more than 1 set of hands, like lifting heavy furniture, painting kitchen cabinets, etc.

So I after a bit of feeling sorry for myself, I realized I was going to have to get past my fear of rejection and/or bothering people and start asking for help.  Help from my physical friends and of course also help from my non-physical ones as well!

I asked The Universe to help me.

I put out a call on Facebook for a painter and got some recommendations that I’m interviewing now.

I asked my daughter’s boyfriend to help me wall mount a TV and he will be here later this afternoon.

And I figured I could pick up some smallish pieces of new furniture I bought in the back of my Pontiac G6.

Well . . . .

1 piece got in and barely got out alive when I decided to do it all myself!

Now here’s where the story gets REALLY REALLY GOOD so read up!

While shopping for new ottoman/coffee table, I fell madly in love with a chest of drawers I did NOT at all need, but decided to splurge on any way.  (I did also find the ottoman I wanted.)  Today I went to pick up Bling Bling, the new home for my bedroom TV.  Since she was about the same size as the nightstand that barely got out of my car alive, I figured I was good for Bling Bling to be chauffeured home in my back seat.

While sitting in the waiting room of the furniture store, a gentleman walked in whom I recognized as one of the partners from my former law firm (back in 2007 when I was still  a legal secretary).  “J” was there returning an item and we exchanged pleasantries and chatted.  The warehouse then said my cabinet was ready to be loaded and I went to my car.

Sadly, a few minutes later, it became apparent Bling Bling was NOT going to fit in my back seat as I had hoped.  But, synchronistically,  “J”, who was about to drive off after concluding his return, overheard the conversation.

He asked me where I lived, I told him, and then . . . to my complete surprise and amazement,  he offered to have Bling Bling loaded up in his SUV and bring it to my house!!!!!

HOW EFFING AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

But wait there’s more!!!!!

I had figured I would come back on a subsequent trip and get the ottoman another day, but realized with J’s SUV, I could probably get both right now!  I asked J if he would mind waiting another few minutes so they could load it up also and he VERY KINDLY agreed to that too!!!!

So let’s recap here.

Me, a few days ago, being afraid I wouldn’t have the help I needed to complete some of my projects.

Me, sitting in a waiting room at a furniture store, AT THE EXACT SAME TIME, a former co-worker (PARTNER!)  from a job I left  5 years ago, walks in.

Me, shaking my head wondering how Bling Bling was gonna get home when she didn’t fit in my car,  but trusting that SOME solution would arise.

And the heavens open up . . . .

And the Magic happens in a way that I couldn’t have manipulated or controlled in a thousand years!

J, who just “happens” to be in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time, and is exactly a nice guy . . . synchronistically becomes my delivery angel!

After J drives off, having taken the burden of not only the delivery, but also getting both pieces of furniture out of HIS car into my garage, Me, standing in my garage with tears in my eyes and arms outstretched to the sky, saying to the Universe  . . .

THANK YOU GOD!

The moral of the story is . . . . 

BELIEVE IN MIRACLES! 

Keep your heart, mind and soul ready to receive, and 

Gratefully acknowledge and appreciate EVERY single synchronicity!

May you always be Divinely Aligned!

Namaste.

 

 

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How To Be More Prosperous

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Want more $$$ in the bank? 

OK . . so I know the answer is YES!  (probably more like “Duh?  OF COURSE I DO!!!!) . . . .

This isn’t a subject I write about very often, but it seems to be “up” this week so here we go.

Bear with me here, you’re gonna have to do a little self-investigation in order to actually add the cash because it’s all really about your money mindset.

I’d love to offer you a magic pill, or cash-generation system (perhaps a very “special” printer for the basement [wink-wink]) but I don’t have one of those.

The 5 Questions

What I do have are 5 questions that will help you begin to change your Money Mindset – which is the starting place for any physical manifestation (aka “mo’ money”) can show up.

We all have our “Highest and Best Self” and can access Divine Wisdom if we choose to.  Today’s article is going to give you an introduction to an aspect of you, I like to call your Inner Money Magician!

And don’t poo-poo it before you try it.  Let’s face it – you have nothing but more moolah to gain, so in the spirit of “What-The H-E-double-toothpicks”, let’s get started!

I suggest you grab a pen and paper or open up a doc on the computer to respond to these questions.  And just do it NOW.  Yeah I know you are busy and you don’t have time, and you can’t be bothered.  But if you REALLY want more money, then what better use of your time is there?

And you don’t have to write a novel here . . . a few words, or 2-3 sentences that are the first thoughts that come to your mind is all that is necessary.

And yeah – you can do it in your head, but trust me, it gets into your subconscious WAY BETTER if you write it!

Ready?  COOL!  

Let’s change your money mindset!

    Q1:  Write down the 3 words that FIRST COME TO YOUR MIND about money.  Don’t judge ’em – just write ’em.  No one has to see this.  But if you wanna change your mindset, you gotta come clean with YOU!

   Q2:  If you had all the money you need to be EXTREMELY comfortable (including vacations, a decent car, nice house, etc) . . . what do you think would be the first 3 words that come to your mind?

    Q3:  Is there a difference In the words you used between Q1 and Q2?

   Q4:  Write down how you FEEL about the difference (if there is one).  Are you mad?  Happy? Frustrated?  Are you pissed off you are even bothering with this little exercise?

   Q5:  If you could wave a magic wand RIGHT NOW to change how you are feeling about money, what would FEELINGS would you change?   Remember – we are talking about your emotions and feelings – not the circumstances.  While it’s tempting to want to wave the wand and see a few mill magically appear at your doorstep, that’s an outside circumstance you do not have the power to control.  However, you ALWAYS have the power to control what you are THINKING and FEELING.

So to reframe Q5 —  if you ALREADY HAD a few million sitting in the bank, how do you think you would feel about money?

Interesting yes?

Did you come up with some answers that surprised you a bit?

Hopefully you answered YES!!!  Because, that means you have just become more conscious about how to improve your ability to receive more money.

Here are some of the ways you’ve ALREADY changed your money mindset by answering these questions (and if you haven’t done the questions yet — what are you waiting for? ;-))

  • You showed you have the courage to see more Truth
  • You probably discovered some fears or beliefs that you may not have realized fully you had
  • You discovered you DO have an Inner Money Magician who helped you answer the “if you already had money” questions
  • You brought up some new ideas from your subconscious mind into your conscious mind which is where you have the power to make changes!

I’d say that’s all pretty cool!  As one of my dear friends tells her clients:  “Consciousness precedes change!” 

You cannot change until you become aware!  So give yourself a HUGE pat on the back for taking the time, energy and effort to respond to this little questionnaire!  It’s a GREAT start!

Your Mission For The Week:  Start noticing your thoughts about money this week without judgment or criticism.  That’s a great first step.  Get to know Your Inner Money Magician a bit better!  Start up a dialogue!  Ask it to help you become more aware of your hidden beliefs about money! Take some notes!

Your Inner Money Magician is here to help you . . . and so am I! 🙂

Here’s to your Pro$perity!

Filed Under: Featured Bottom, Featured Right, Inner Peace · Tagged: , , , , ,

The Naked Truth?

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I spotted this post by Claire Brummell in her Facebook Group, Feminine1st, of which I’m a member.  I was captivated by her transparent assessment of her reactions to her own physicality on her first experience at a hot springs and I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

So, what was my naked truth?

So last week, I Claire Brummell, author of this post, began to share my naked truth…prompted by a trip to the hot springs out here in San Francisco….and today I reveal all (pun intended) about my experience…

When I first arrived at the hot springs I was very aware of how naked everyone was. Walking into a co-ed dressing room with numerous other people…both some that I knew and some that I didn’t, I realised how conscious I was of it.

…and how much I didn’t want to acknowledge or look at anyone’s bodies…including my own.

For the first hour or so at the springs I felt like a floating head. I was totally avoiding acknowledging anything that existed from the neck down. It wasn’t that I had any particular issue with it…it was just such an unusual experience that it took a bit of adjusting.

Then one of the friends that I was with suggested that we do ‘the hot and cold pools’.

Now, the hot and cold pools at Harbin are VERY VERY hot and VERY VERY cold. The idea is for you to first submerge yourself in the very very hot pool…then when you feel it’s time to get out submerge yourself in the very very cold pool…to stimulate the blood flow to the whole body….and repeat this process 7 times.

It sounded good to me, so I thought let’s give it a go.

Now, I’ve always struggled a bit with extremes of temperature…so it would have been reasonable to believe that this could have presented a challenge for me. …and it did.

I was advised before we entered the pools that the trick with the hot pool is to move very, very slowly…and with the cold pool to get your shoulders under the water as quickly as possible.

No problem.

Or so I thought.

When I started descending the steps to the hot pool, at first it seemed fine. Step one was OK…step 2 was quite warm…and step 3 felt like my feet were on fire.

Just walk slowly I kept reminding myself.

It was quite an unusual experience and by the time I got fully into the pool I could feel my skin prickling.

I’ve no idea how long I stayed in that first time, but I doubt it was longer than a minute.

So with the time in the hot pool done, it was time for the cold plunge pool.

…and it was COLD.

If you know me well, you’ll know that I’m normally on the chilly side (to put it mildly!) so the idea of submerging myself in extremely cold water didn’t exactly appeal…but I knew it was all part of the process so I gave it a go.

Wow.

I don’t think I’ve ever known what cold was before!

After the hot pool the cold pool felt like it was only a few degrees above freezing (I believe it’s actually in the low 60s)…and it was a real shock to the body.

But sure enough, once shoulders were in and I began to relax into it…it began to feel very refreshing. My skin was tingling and I felt incredibly alive.

…and then very cold again…so it was time to revisit the hot.

I’m not sure exactly where in the 7 cycles through the hot and cold pools the change happened…but it was sudden, and it was powerful.

I went through a period of time where it no longer felt like my body and mind were connected. My body was going through the process in the water but my mind felt like it was floating somewhere else….and then it happened.

I was in the hot pool when I suddenly felt the culmination of all of the hot and cold plunges together and my skin felt like it was buzzing. As I came out of the water I felt like some sort of mythical goddess emerging from the heat…(I think that the heat might have gone to my head!)

As much as this might sound a little ‘la la’ or ‘hippy happy clappy’ to coin a term that I affectionately use for experiences that are a little outside of the norm, one thing was very clear.


I felt very empowered and totally connected to my body.

Not only that but I felt very comfortable with my body…and appreciative of it. I felt proud of it.

Every hint of resistance regarding being naked in public had gone, and I allowed myself to just enjoy the experience.

Shortly after completing our hot and cold experience we decided to indulge in the steam room with a sugar scrub…and got chatting to a couple of the other people in there.

At that point I saw just how natural it was for everyone else at the springs. I realised that since I’d arrived, not once had I felt leered at or uncomfortable with anyone there.

We all chatted in the same way we would if we’d all been in there fully clothed (although we’d have all been significantly warmer!)

The rest of the day was a real eye-opening experience….literally.

I started looking at the bodies around me…including my own. It was plain to see that every single body in there had something about it that was beautiful….and every single body had something that could be seen as a flaw, or an area that could be improved in some small way.

It was also clear to me in that moment how what those areas of beauty or improvement are is completely subjective. What I might think of as an area that could be changed or improved, could be the very area that someone else might see as beautiful and perfect….and vice versa.

One of the friends I was at the hot springs with described them as walking talking works of art…which I think summed it up beautifully.

I got to experience the elements…sun, water, wind and earth first hand…without any compromise or restriction…and it was great.

Some time to just be.

No masks, no costumes, nothing to hide behind.

All of me.

Complete. Whole. Perfectly Imperfect.

My naked truth was that I realise now that I was quite disassociated from my body, and I wasn’t really comfortable owning it in public.

My experience at the hot springs really provided the perfect opportunity to embrace every single part of it. Allowing me to love and appreciate every single curve, just the way that it is.

So this week I invite you to explore your own naked truth. See where it is now, and where you might like it to be.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you need to whip your kit off at the nearest public venue (depending on your location the authorities may have something to say about that!)…but I do invite you to see what experiences might help you to connect deeper with your own body…and to accept it more completely, just the way that it is.

Because as with everyone at the hot springs…all bodies are beautiful, all bodies are flawed, and that’s what makes them perfectly imperfect.

Stay Fabulous (whether you’re naked or fully clothed!)

CREDITS FOR THIS ARTICLE:
AUTHOR:  Claire Brummell
FROM WEBSITE:  Feminine 1st
DIRECT LINK:  http://www.feminine1st.com/so-what-was-my-naked-truth/

Filed Under: Around The Web, Body Image, Featured Bottom · Tagged: , , ,

How To Be Positive Even When You Are Scared @#%less

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How can you be positive even when you are scared #$&%less?

Well, you can pretend you are in an Alternate Reality in the holodeck of The Enterprise where only good vibes exist and you always make fabulous choices and decisions!

What would you do DIFFERENTLY if you had no history or memory of anything that happened prior to this moment?

Pretty astonishing thought isn’t it?

Pause a moment and just let the enormity of it sink into your bones.

What if you didn’t remember how it felt when your mom said something critical about how you look?

What if you didn’t remember how it felt when s/he didn’t call you back after that date?

What if you didn’t remember that money was “hard to come by”?

Can you see how much we let our past control our present? 

I know I’ve written about this before, but when I saw this quote from Naomi Dunford at IttyBiz.com this morning it actually almost brought tears to my eyes.

Why?

Because, even I (who live and breathe this stuff as much as poss 24/7), am still filled with pains from my past experiences.  No matter how much Ho O Pono Pono (Hawaiian forgiveness process), prayer and meditation I do.  No matter how much tapping (EFT) or Abraham-Hicks (Law of Attraction) videos I watch.  No matter how many tears or tissues I’ve gone through.

The pain is still there.

It’s gonna be there as long as we are in human form!

Diminished over time?  ABSOLUTELY!

Every present in my thoughts?  Thankfully, not always.

But the moment we butt up against one of those hurtful memories in our current world, the floodgates tend to open.

And THAT’s where the danger lies.

Danger in the sense of  . . . if we get swallowed up by the painful flood of emotions, then we will not be making our decisions or our choices from our most powerful and greatest self!

And we don’t want that!

We want to be as present in our greatness, in our amazing wonderful selves as we can be in any given moment.

And 1 way to do that is to use today’s tool the next time you notice a fear or insecurity or “concern” popping up.

Ask yourself – RIGHT IN THAT MOMENT:  “What would I do/think/feel/say if I had NO MEMORY of the past?”

And then make your choice according to your CURRENT Divine Wisdom.

Your Divine Self is always conspiring on your behalf for YOUR Highest Good.

It has no judgment.

And it has no memory.

Allow yourself to tap into that Divine Guidance BEFORE you take the next step.

Because that next step . . . will be tomorrow’s memory.

And what if you had only FABULOUS memories?

 

Ahhhhh    . . . . now THAT’s a WAY COOL question isn’t it?

Let’s all dwell in THAT reality shall we?

Filed Under: Featured Bottom, Featured Right, Inner Peace · Tagged: , , , ,

Believe in YOURSELF!

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Use this powerful affirmation whenever you are feeling unsure of yourself and/or overwhelmed.

It has served me well for nearly 30 years! Learning to BELIEVE in Yourself and to TRUST Yourself is one of the most important lessons we can learn!

 

“I BELIEVE I am Divinely Guided.

I BELIEVE I will always take the right turn of the road.

I BELIEVE I can do all things with God who strengthens me.”

 

Filed Under: Featured Bottom, Featured Right, Inner Peace · Tagged: , , ,

WHY WRITE ABOUT BODY IMAGE

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This post is written by Kate Fridkis of Eat the Damn Cake.

I write about body image because I love eating cake, but women around me are always dieting.

I write about body image because I have been told it doesn’t matter, but every year, more girls have eating disorders.

I write about body image because everyone cares about beauty, no matter how much we tell ourselves we don’t. And because, really, we are beautiful, no matter how much we tell ourselves we aren’t.

I write about body image because I moved to Manhattan, where suddenly everyone was very thin and very careful about eating and always going to the gym and suddenly it occurred to me that I was not thin enough and not pretty enough and very bad at going to the gym.

I write about body image because I noticed that after I noticed that I was maybe not thin enough, I stopped eating some of my favorite foods. They slipped out of my diet. I said no to dessert. I felt guilty when I gave in and made pasta for dinner. I felt guilty all the time, because all the time, I was cheating. There were all of these rules about what I could and couldn’t eat, and how much of it was OK, and I had somehow memorized them without even being aware of it, and now, when I broke them, I was ashamed.

I write about body image because I got a nose job because my big Jewish nose seemed like the opposite of beauty. Because when I told people that famous, beautiful women never have big Jewish noses, they always said, “What about Barbara Streisand?” and that was a long time ago. No one can think of anyone more recent. And also, because when my boyfriend who became my husband told me over and over that my nose was beautiful, I didn’t really believe him, even though I should have.

I write about body image because people make fun of people who get cosmetic surgery, even though when I got cosmetic surgery, there was nothing funny about it. I hated my face. I wanted to destroy my old face.

I write about body image because I don’t look like a model, but sometimes, automatically, I really wish I looked like a model. And at the same time, I really wish I didn’t wish that.

I write about body image because when I was a little girl, I thought I was gorgeous. I thought that I was gorgeous because I was me.

I write about body image because women are always complimenting each other by saying, “You look like you lost weight!” and because it’s so hard to think that what you are is already enough.

I write about body image because the more I write about body image, the more letters I get from girls and women who tell me how important this topic is. I get letters from women who don’t want to go outside because they feel so unattractive and women whose mothers told them they weren’t ever going to be pretty enough and women who were told by the world that they weren’t worth as much as they actually are, and women who feel fantastic about the way they look and are so relieved. And because the more I write about body image, the better I feel, when I look in the mirror. The better I look to myself. The better I realize I am.

That’s why I write about body image.

And also, cake is just delicious. We really shouldn’t ever give it up.

Kate Fridkis is a Brooklyn-based writer whose work appears regularly on The Frisky and the Huffington Post. She blogs at Eat the Damn Cake. You can follow her on Twitter @eatthedamncake.

Filed Under: Body Image, Featured Bottom, Guest Posts ·

LIFE IS TOO SHORT

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I’m having a “life’s too short” moment after receiving news that a lovely colleague and supportive friend of mine here in town is in ICU at the hospital after having had a stroke a few days ago.  Interestingly enough, my friend and I were supposed to have had a “catch-up” date at her house on the day that she apparently became ill . . . I had been surprised that she had not responded to my texts or phone messages earlier that day to confirm our dinner-time visit.

Her illness particularly struck me because she currently lives alone and her adult son did not find her to get her to the hospital for about 24 hours  . . . I too currently live alone with the exception of my “woman’s best friend” the Lovely Lola Rainbow.

 

As I write this, today is also the first day of a new “schedule” I created for myself – a weekly “TAKE CARE OF ME” day . After 6 months of whirlwhind activity culminating in my (best selling!) book launch and week long birthday celebration, I took some time to regroup and re-evaluate how I wanted the remainder of 2012 (and my entire remaining physical life!) to play out.

 

What did I want to experience each day?

 

How did I want to feel each day?

 

Those are very different questions than “what will I get done on my never-ending TO-DO list today” type questions!

 

I also received a response from my business coach on a piece of marketing copy I had sent to her that I was really proud of and excited about.  Her response was that she “liked” it  . . . .but I read between the lines and asked her what it would take for her to “love it” . . . . I wasn’t overly thrilled with her reply to that query and as I was mulling that over, I heard the news about my friend in ICU.

 

And then Inner Critic, Fear and Doubt voices kicked up a storm!  “What if that was you lying alone at home undiscovered for 24 hours?”, “What if you never make any money?”  “What if this new business area is a complete and total flop?”  “Who are you to think you can do any of this stuff anyway?  So what you just had a #1 best selling book launch – that was YESTERDAY!”

 

Luckily, (well actually it wasn’t luck — it was a firm commitment on my part that INNER PEACE and JOY are my top priorities) . . . I had the clarity to pause.

 

 

And to pray.

 

For my friend OF COURSE!

 

And for guidance for me.

 

And what I heard was . . . .

 

“Steph . . . this is an opportunity.  You made a strong and focused decision and commitment to invest your time in ways that you can feel good about.  You also made a strong and focused decision that feeling as good as possible in any given moment is your goal AND more importantly that it is TOTALLY WITHIN YOUR OWN CONTROL how YOU CHOOSE to feel in any given moment.

 

You’ve been feeling VERY good and you have also been receiving GREAT results from your inspired actions.  This moment is no different from all of those.  You STILL get to choose how you want to feel and how you want to invest your time.

 

You can let fear, doubt and worry grab you by the short hairs, or you can choose to strengthen your connection to your core beliefs  . . . trusting and believing that ALL IS WELL and in Divine Order and taking the actions that lead you to the best feelings you can muster in this moment.

 

It’s ALWAYS your choice . . . and the events of today . . . are just an opportunity you have created to strengthen your convictions or re-evaluate them if you desire.

 

We will support you, as always, in either choice.

 

Which way do you want to go?”

 

(Btw — I noted on the time on the clock in the room at that moment . . . it was 11:11 😉

 

And there it was . . . .

 

Laid out for me quite clearly . . . once again . . .

 

I decided in THAT moment that cleaning my kitchen was the best action I could take to feel the best I could about myself.  As I walked into the kitchen I saw that the oven clock was 1 minute off the microwave clock and both were a minute or two off the office clock, so I got to have 2 more “11:11” moments and took them as “a sign” that I was on a positive, aligned track!

 

I held my hand over my heart and recited a line from a Marianne Williamson quote I had posted on my fridge:  “Let only LOVE enter here” until both clocks had ticked over to 11:12 J  and then proceeded to clean the hell out of the kitchen!

 

There is something about a clean kitchen that DEFINITELY brightens me.

 

And today that chore gave me the additional time to reflect.

 

And to choose again.

 

And I choose peace.

 

And I choose JOY.

 

And I choose NOT TO WAIVER in my commitment and decision to feel GOOD and to invest my time and attention in ways that expand those good feelings.

 

Because you see . . . I don’t think my friend in ICU is worrying about whether she did her marketing “right” or even whether her kitchen is clean.  She and I are friends partially because we share the same belief system . . . and we both know that the stuff on our to-do list really doesn’t matter in the long run as far as our Divine Spirits go.

 

And we also share the belief that our primary purpose here on the planet is to share our unconditional love and our bright lights . . . first with ourselves . . . and then as far and wide as we can imagine.

 

So in this moment, I know the best thing I can do for my friend . . . is to take care of me . . . and the best way I can take care of me . . . is to remember who I am . . .

 

And who YOU ARE TOOO . . . .

 

A glorious child of a loving Universe with a unique and bright Light and unique and special gifts and talents that only YOU can bring to the world.

 

SO BRING IT!

 

AND BRING IT WITH GUSTO!

 

This physical life at least . . . IS too short to do anything less!!!

 

And besides   . . . it’s what we came here for in the first place!

 

 

[Ed. Note:  My sweet friend Dez made her transition back to pure source energy a few days after I wrote this post.  It’s been a few weeks now, and I often feel Dezi’s energy saying “atta girl Stephie!”]

Filed Under: Featured Bottom, Inner Peace ·

Love Your Body Now

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Plus Size Inner Peace, Weight Loss, Self Esteem, Self-Confidence

Love Your Body: 8 Reasons to Feel Great About Who You Are

by Kate Friedkis, from The Huffington Post

These are some reasons why you should feel good about your body:

1. It enables you to recognize yourself, and other people to recognize you. Which is really important, because there are billions of people in the world. You have stuff going on that no one else does. It’s fantastic. It’s a really good thing. In fact, I want to meet you, just to see all the ways in which we’re interestingly different and comfortingly similar.

2. It is incredibly complicated, but tends to work. And you’re alive. Which is absolutely astounding, when you take a moment to think about it.

3. Even though you can recognize yourself, you always look different. How you feel and what you do and who you’re with and what kind of mirror you’re looking in all shift and rearrange the way you appear to yourself. It’s cool. Sometimes it’s awful. Sometimes you feel like total crap. But there’s always potential for startling beauty. Or surprising awesomeness.

4. No matter what you look like, you’re hot to other people. Like, seriously hot. Except to internet trolls. Even supermodels aren’t hot to them. Once I read someone’s rant about how big Gisele Bundchen’s nose is. Which made me feel like my nose was about the size of, let’s say, the moon. But longer. My friend told me that she was feeling really ugly the other day and then someone on the street was like, “Hey, you’re beautiful!” A homeless guy on the street told me I have a gorgeous ass two nights ago. OK, not exactly the same. The point is — it’s pretty sweet that we’re all attractive. Did I really mess that point up, with the homeless guy comment? Moving on.

5. There are a lot of different options for clothes. Unlike a while ago, when women had to wear uncomfortable dresses all the time. And corsets. And the same neckline. And you had to make your own tampons. Wait. That’s a different thing. You have a lot of choices now. You can find something that looks amazing. When I’m old, I’m going to wear all these flowy, priestessy outfits. Like, in silver and green. I have it planned out.

6. You can find something about your appearance that is stunning. Even on a day when you feel gross. We’re trained to find the flaws. I feel like my brain is an evil little badger sometimes. It grabs the flaws and hangs on. No! Bad badger! I am capable of identifying positive stuff. I can practice at it. I can get good at it. I am looking in the mirror right now, because there happens to be a mirror over the desk I’m writing on. I like my lips. Right now. My lips are stunning. They are perfect. And I’m stopping at that.

7. But not stopping the list. Seven is a luckier number. There’s more to it than your body.Which I forget, in my worst moments of image based self-doubt. I can write really lovely songs, for example. I do not have to look lovely when I sing them. Just the songs are enough. But maybe I look lovely when I sing them anyway.

8. Oh, I have another one! You don’t have to be perfect!! Perfection is stupid. It’s a myth perpetuated by Photoshop and fantasy. You don’t have to look any one way to look beautiful, great, stunning, wonderful, pretty, gorgeous, amazing, strong, fantastic, cute, nice, cool, or any other good thing. Often, you just have to look like you.

Kate Freidkis, www.EatTheDamnCake.com wrote this article for the 2011 Love Your Body Day Blog Carnival, from NOW’s Love Your Body Day. 

 

 

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