The brand Dove put out an incredible piece awhile back about women in five cities around the world.  They were given two doorways to choose to pass through…the “Beautiful” doorway or the “Average” doorway.  Guess which doorway most of the women chose.  I’ll post the link to it at the end of the blog so you can see it if you haven’t.  It’s worth the watch.  Enlightening. 

It’s so heartbreaking to think that only 4% of women think they are beautiful.  4%…Really?  This is dedicated to the other 96% of women out there.  My intention is that by the end of this, you’ll see yourself in a new light.  A new, beautiful light.  The light that reflects on your incredible beauty.

What is the definition of beautiful anyway?  Well, it means “pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically.”  It also means “possessing the qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind.”    Based on those two definitions, I believe beauty is a CHOICE.  If you sense it and you think it, then aren’t you?  Would it matter what the rest of the world thought?  No.  It would only matter what others thought IF YOU LET IT. 

Unfortunately, we live in a world where we are bombarded by the media with messages that subliminally make us believe we are not good enough.  Buy this lipstick, wear these Spanx (no offense, Sara Blakely, I’m a huge fan!), dye your hair, don’t eat this, eat that, and on and on.

When we do these things, the reason we do it needs to be for one reason, and one reason only.  Because it makes us feel good about ourselves.  We cannot and should not be doing them for anyone else.  Now, I’m not saying that your man won’t benefit from your beautiful new haircut and your hot sexy dress.  Hopefully, he’s the type of man to notice that level of detail.  However, the reason you do it is for YOU.  When we pamper ourselves, love ourselves, do things that make us feel good, we light up!  We just FEEL better, plain and simple. 

Yet, the real issue is that we women tend to always COMPARE ourselves to other women.  She’s got nicer hair than I do, her body is in better shape, she has porcelain skin, her smile is radiant. 

I did an experiment a while back, shortly after my divorce and in the midst of my self-awakening and personal development.  Every time I saw myself in the mirror, whether actively looking or just walking by, I stopped for a second and said “I am GORGEOUS!”  I did this for about two weeks.  Then, I attended a networking event, and I was stunned at the number of people who approached me and referred to me as “GORGEOUS!”  Not pretty, not looking great, not even beautiful.  They used the word I used.  Now, if that’s not powerful proof that we are what we say we are, then I don’t know what is!  It was just an experiment, but what it did for me was lift my spirits, it gave me power and confidence, and it proved to me that the only opinion of myself that truly matters is my own!    Because the way I see myself is a mirror reflection of the way others will see me.  It’s in the energy I am emitting.  I’m passing it along telepathically.  Isn’t that fascinating!?! 

Well, guess what…so are YOU!  What is the program about yourself that’s running through your mind and running your life?  Not beautiful enough?  YOU ARE, YOU ARE, YOU ARE!  I can scream it from the mountaintop, but it will not matter!  It will only matter when YOU BELIEVE IT!  So, I encourage you to please believe it.  Now, I’m going to give you some steps to make that happen.

Step 1

Grab a handheld mirror or stand in front of a mirror.  Look deep into your eyes.  Stare into the opposite eye of your dominant hand.  Keep staring, for at least a minute.  Maybe two or three.  As you’re doing that, do Louise Hay’s work of saying “I Love You, (add your name), I really, really love you.”  As you’re doing this, you will start to notice that your edges start to fade way.  You can literally see yourself expand and see your soul.  It’s so powerful!  THAT is who you are…not just the physical form that you look at every day.  You will be connecting with your BEAUTIFUL Soul!  Enjoy this, and do it every day, if possible.  You’ll begin to feel a shift in you, and you will definitely start experiencing your inner perfection and beauty.

Step 2

Pick a word to describe yourself, like I did.  Feel free to use “GORGEOUS.”  It’s a good one!  But, pick a word that you would like to be referred to as.  Stunning, Radiant, Pretty, Gorgeous, Sexy, Dynamic, and of course, Beautiful, are all great ones!  Then, do what I did…take every opportunity to call yourself by that word every single time you are in front of a mirror.  Then, pay attention, because people WILL start referring to you that way.  It’s so magnetic!

Step 3

For 30 days, abstain from all media related to beauty, or any topic that you KNOW makes you feel bad about yourself.  Do not read any fashion magazines, blogs, watch anything on the internet or TV.  No celebrity gossip.  Nothing.  It’s only one month, you can do it!  Listen, I abstained from meat for 30 days, just to see if I could do it.  Here I am, 15 years later, and I still no longer eat meat.  You don’t know what’s possible until you try.  I’m not suggesting you make it a permanent change.  I’m only asking that you try this experiment and see what starts to happen to you in regards to the way your feel about yourself.  It’s SO worth the effort.

Step 4

This is probably the most important step of all.  I want you to write down a list of ALL the things that you LOVE about yourself.  (We referenced doing this in our “Get Your Sexy Back Blog and Webinar,” but this time you’ll be writing it down and going deeper with it.)  Write down every little detail, like, I love the curve from my waistline to my hipbones, I love the feel of the back of my neck, I like my knees, I like my eyes, I like the way I look when I smile, I love the arch of my eyebrows.  You get the picture…write down EVERYTHING.  Make the list as long as possible.  You can keep this in your journal, or you can keep it near one of the mirrors you spend time in front of every day.  That could be your make-up mirror or your bathroom mirror, but place it somewhere that will keep it top-of-mind for you.  When you see it, stop for a minute and read it.  Remind yourself DAILY about how much you love about yourself.  When you do that on a regular basis, what you love about yourself will expand.  It’s the Law of Attraction.  And it works…every single time!  That’s why it’s called “Law.”

Well…I hope you’re excited about these four steps, and I hope I made good on my intention at the start of this blog…that you see yourself in a new light.  Or, at the very least, the possibilities.

Watch the “DOVE” video, and think about yourself when you watch these women struggle with something that is truly our birthright…our unique, exquisite beauty!  See yourself in all of them, and make the decision that YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL!

Watch the Webinar!

Quote:  “Beauty is when you can appreciate yourself.  When you love yourself, that’s when you’re most beautiful.”  – Zoe Kravitz

Only 4% of Women Think They Are Beautiful …Four Steps to Change That!Read More