There are so many things to say about you, where does one begin? Over the past days and weeks, voices more eloquent than mine have acknowledged your greatness and the gift you have been to this world. You will be called many things; brilliant and talented, creative and inspired, strong and compassionate, a visionary, a leader, a mentor, a friend. You lived a life of courage, joy and love – always to your own standards, your own ideals. You stood for what you believed to be right, yet managed to do so without making others wrong. You made a tremendous difference in the lives of those who were fortunate enough to share some time on this earth with you. You were a gift to us all and your presence will be sorely missed.

It is the inside, not the outside that counts, right? That is what we hear but what we see around us is totally different.  Every day, we are inundated with images of so-called ”perfect” physical beauty and we feel pressured to measure up.  These two concepts of beauty seem to contradict one another.  If beauty is on the inside, then we should be putting our energy into cultivating ourselves to be the greatest possible versions of ourselves.  If beauty is on the outside, we need to head to the gym, the spa or the mall!

We are not often asked ”Who are you?”  Sure, people may ask us what our name is, what we do, whose wife or mother we are, but we are rarely challenged with answering the question “Who am I?”

“I am a woman; a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend….”

The list goes on and on.  But do any of these roles define me? Is who I am defined by my relationship to others?  Am I my job description? Am I my appearance, my past or my limitations?

Even in a tough economy, the diet business is in terrific shape - unlike many of its customers.  But with research suggesting 95% of dieters regain the weight within 12 months, does the diet industry rely on our failure to make its profits? While we spend billions of dollars on diet food and products, our collective weight continues to increase.  The United States is now embroiled in what has been termed an “Obesity Epidemic”; as if getting fat were something contagious your kids could pick up at school and unwittingly bring home to the rest of the family!

Do you know how great you are?  Are you aware of the gifts you possess, of the difference you can make in the lives of others?  Do you embrace Who You Really Are – your strength, your love, your grace, your beauty and your brilliance?  Are you connected with that part of yourself, or are you hiding?

We use our money to “vote” for products in the marketplace. When we make a purchase, we vote not just for the value of the product itself but also for the ethics involved in manufacturing, packaging and promoting it.  If a product does not get enough votes, it is removed from the marketplace.  If it gets a lot of votes, the company will stay the course, replicating a marketing strategy that works.

On their website, the well-known clothing company American Apparel, talks about the past success of their marketing campaigns and how it supports their branding;

Many of us are familiar with the idea famously put forth by Louise Hay that we are all perfect, whole and complete.  We need to do nothing in order to be that way – we always automatically are. I do my best to remember this but there are times when it can be more challenging than others. 

When asked, most of us will say that beauty comes from within.  We will say that it is the qualities we possess, not our physical features that make us most attractive. This is what I call our “public conversation” about beauty, and most of us really believe it.  But then, we stand in front of the mirror and the conversation changes.  The “private conversation” takes over. For many of us, and the first thing we see is what is “wrong”; a new stretch mark, a bump on the nose, wrinkles we swear were not there yesterday, acne, those extra few pounds of holiday weight we have yet to lose…

Thank you all for your continued support of Being Beautiful and its message.  Our community is growing and the conversations are starting - each one takes us one step closer toward changing the paradigm of beauty in our society to one that is healty, attainable and inclusive!

For the next few days, I have the honor of my article “Perfectly Imperfect” being featured in the Girls Gone Gorgeous emagazine.  Please following the link and check it out!  http://www.g3expressyourself.com/wordpress/

We all have two lives; the one we are living and the one we dream about.  Sure, the life we dream about may include many aspects of the one we are currently living, but there is always something more we dream of.  It could be gaining material wealth or creating a more solid foundation for ourselves.  It could be starting a family, or having a richer experience of the family we already have. It could be realizing success or simply loving the person looking back at you in the mirror.  We all have a life we dream of.  We always want something more – it is part of being human.