Across the country this week women and men are taking time out of their schedules to learn more about eating disorders and healthy bodies. Women's Centers, health centers, women's studies department, mentoring groups, and even book groups are taking time to bring this very important issue to the public. Eating disorders are not an individual issue, it is a family and community issue. Eating disorders are not only a medical issues for the female community, in fact, eating disorders in men are increasing at an alarming rate.
The Beautiful Women Project has a simple, yet powerful message: it is the sum of a woman's life experiences that make her beautiful. The Beautiful Women Project cannot change the fact that some determine a woman's beauty solely on her physical body. Our goal is to shift the focus from the body being the only determining factor of an individual's beauty to just a small part of what makes a person beautiful. This shift can occur. This shift needs to occur.
If there is an event going on in your area or college campus this week, check it out. Support the men and women who are doing their part to raise awareness of eating disorders across the country.
Showing posts with label perfection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perfection. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Find Happiness
We can spend our lifetime chasing a concept of perfection, and never feel as if we have achieved our goal. Finding perfection is like running on a treadmill, unitl you shut off the machine it continues its unending cycle. Perfection is defined as, "...a person or thing that is the perfect embodiment of some quality." Instead of trying to become the perfect embodiment of something or someone else, why can't we accept ourselves as perfect the individuals we have already created with our life experiences?
Marcia, one of the women in The Beautiful Women Project, shared with me a wonderful piece of wisdom. She awoke one morning with a question in her head, "Do you want to be happy?" Her immediate response was, "Of course, who doesn't want to live their life being happy." She was immediately greeted with the thought, "Then stop trying to always be right and perfect." Marcia went on to teach me that trying to be right or perfect is the stuff that leads us down the road of low self esteem and self loathing instead of self love, sickness and disease instead of health and wellness.
Another Beautiful Women Project story brings home this point. Throughout her life, Suzi always had to be the best at everything: head cheerleader, valedictorian, college scholarship. She was well respected at the top of her profession, a super-mom at home and at her children's school, and kept an immaculate house. Everything was perfect accept the way she felt about herself. Exhausted from the chaos of it all, she realized that it was impossible to be everything to everyone, because there was nothing left for herself. She said good-bye to the notion of Perfect Suzi. Now the dinner dishes are delegated, morning meetings have to wait until the kids are off to school, and there are only a few things that take her away from her family nights and weekends. And in her newly imperfect lifestyle she has found a happiness she never had while trying to always be perfect.
Trying to be perfect is exhausting. Refocus your energy and give back to yourself. Recognize all of the things about yourself that are wonderful, that bring you joy, and that make you proud of the woman you are today.
Marcia, one of the women in The Beautiful Women Project, shared with me a wonderful piece of wisdom. She awoke one morning with a question in her head, "Do you want to be happy?" Her immediate response was, "Of course, who doesn't want to live their life being happy." She was immediately greeted with the thought, "Then stop trying to always be right and perfect." Marcia went on to teach me that trying to be right or perfect is the stuff that leads us down the road of low self esteem and self loathing instead of self love, sickness and disease instead of health and wellness.
Another Beautiful Women Project story brings home this point. Throughout her life, Suzi always had to be the best at everything: head cheerleader, valedictorian, college scholarship. She was well respected at the top of her profession, a super-mom at home and at her children's school, and kept an immaculate house. Everything was perfect accept the way she felt about herself. Exhausted from the chaos of it all, she realized that it was impossible to be everything to everyone, because there was nothing left for herself. She said good-bye to the notion of Perfect Suzi. Now the dinner dishes are delegated, morning meetings have to wait until the kids are off to school, and there are only a few things that take her away from her family nights and weekends. And in her newly imperfect lifestyle she has found a happiness she never had while trying to always be perfect.
Trying to be perfect is exhausting. Refocus your energy and give back to yourself. Recognize all of the things about yourself that are wonderful, that bring you joy, and that make you proud of the woman you are today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
