Self-Confidence

After watching the Golden Globes and looking through the red carpet photos I noticed that there are a lot of verrrry thin women.  If you were to compare their photos from before they were famous to now, you would notice a difference in their body types.  I guess I have a hard time understanding why women feel they have a certain standard to live up to.  Why does society form a mold that they feel women must fit into?  Each and every person is beautiful.  There are no if, ands or buts about it.  So what if you have a muffin top or wide thighs?  There are ways to embrace this as opposed to hating certain parts of your body.  When it comes to forming the body you feel is needed in order to fit into stylish clothing, you must learn to embrace what you have.

Christina Ricci-before

Christina Ricci-after losing an unhealthy amount of weight

Of course, it starts with a healthy lifestyle and watching what you eat, but if you are maintaining that healthy lifestyle and still feel you don't fit in that mold, you need to STOP that way of thinking.  Right now!  I don't want any more negative thoughts going through your mind.  Never hide who you are because the right people will accept you for you.  To have others respect and accept you, you must first respect and accept yourself.

What she changed in order to "fit" the Hollywood standard.

Megan Fox

To change your frame of mind, start by creating a mantra that you will say to yourself every day.  It could be, "I will not allow myself to speak negatively about myself", or "I will wear 1 item that makes me feel sexy today".  The way you look should not reflect how society wants us to look, but rather who you are.  Match your style to your personality.  If you're bubbly and energetic, wear lime green.  If you're a little more quiet and reserved, wear pastel pink.  Always keep in mind that everyone is made differently and that certain styles are meant for certain body types.  Don't feel you need to make your body anorexic looking in order to wear what's in fashion.  You will find fashionable pieces for each of your assets.

Christina Hendricks

Sophia Vergara-These ladies embrace their curves!

Confidence begins with a few different factors.  One, being your frame of mind.  If you exude confidence, your peers will notice.  Having confidence is created by having the right mixture of people surrounding you.  You want positive people that make you feel good, not negative ones that put you down to make themselves feel better.  Chances are these negative people have low self-confidence and need to work on themselves.  Another factor is expressing who you are on the outside.  As I previously mentioned, expressing your personality through your clothes will show others who you are.  Staying in style for your body type is one key element to boosting your confidence.

Gaining confidence doesn't happen overnight.  This is something we women need to keep up on a daily basis.  It's easy to lose who you are, but being able to pick yourself up and gain that confidence again is key.  Re-assess who you are, what type of person you are conveying to your peers, what you like about yourself, what type of people are involved in your life and what it is you want people to remember you for.  Once you gain self-confidence, you can do anything!  Value yourself entirely!

Respect, Appreciation & Kindness-Part 3

The definition of kindness- of a good or benevolent nature or disposition.  Showing appreciation is not always on a daily basis, but kindness is.  You should always try your best to show your kindness to everybody you know.  Showing that you are a kind and nurturing person will really go a long way; whether in a corporate setting or amongst your family and friends.  It’s easy to be mean, but this doesn’t make you look like a good person.  You can still be dominant and powerful without having to put someone down or yelling.  The best bosses and people to be around are the ones that can treat you like a human being but are still able to enforce the rules.  These are the ones that can trust their team to run a project.  Many times you will come across Type A personalities that always have to do things their way and feel that if they do the work, then it will get done properly.  This is a negative environment to create as 1 person cannot take on all of the tasks to run a project or on a larger scale, a business.  Delegation, trust and treating people with respect is what it takes to be a great leader.  You should not get off on making someone feel small or like they need to kiss your ass to get anywhere in life or higher up in the job.  On the receiving end, if you have shown the utmost respect and been kind to someone that is not receiving the positive vibes you are emitting, then they are not worth you exerting your energy.  That energy can be expelled on someone that appreciates and returns your positivity. 

Random Acts of Kindness

This short clip offers a bit of humor, but you'll get the underlying message.

 It is never too late to change your outlook on living.  There are some people that want to change and don’t know how, and then there are others that are happy the way they are, good or bad.  You can only respect others when you first respect yourself.  Appreciate others for the simple things they do.  Be kind to everyone that is deserving of your kindness.   

Respect, Appreciation & Kindness-Part 2

The definition of appreciation-to be grateful or thankful for.  Appreciation is greatly linked to respect.  Once you can show someone respect, start by showing them some appreciation.  You can show your appreciation by using words like “thank you” and “you’re welcome”.  People like to feel like they are valued.  If you are constantly expressing the negative things they do or in your mind, seem to do, that individual will feel very demoralized.  If you praise them by something positive they did, they will feel more value and will in turn produce better quality work.  It doesn’t take much to make somebody feel appreciated.  Maybe it’s with words and maybe it’s a small gift once in a while.  With the holiday’s coming up you should always show that you’re thinking about people by sending or handing out cards.  Maybe writing to each of your employees or friends with what it is you’re thankful for about them would be a really nice gesture too.  So often people’s etiquette gets thrown out the window.  We need to start setting examples and re-learning what is proper and what isn’t.  They always tell you to put yourself in someone else’s shoes to really see what they would be going through if the roles were reversed.  I would think, more times than none most people would change how they treat that person.  In today’s society we are very negative and only out for ourselves.  When we start caring for others, that’s when we can really make a difference.

Validation-A Short Film

If this video doesn't make you want to be a better person, I don't know what will.  =)

Respect, Appreciation & Kindness-Part 1

Do you practice these actions each and every day of your life?  We sometimes lose sight of what living is all about and allow our emotions and other people’s negative vibes infest our souls.  It is not difficult to live.  Anyone can live by attending their 9-5 job, eating 3 square meals and sleeping every day.  The challenge is living your life to its fullest potential; doing things that make you happy and that affect the lives of others in a positive way.  

The definition of respect-a sense of the worth or excellence of a person.  How often do you value a colleague?  Are they as valuable as you?  Some may not think so.  In an instance like this you may run into interoffice conflict which sets a negative tone throughout the entire office or team.  Knowing how to treat a person is a very simple yet complex trait.  Some people have it, and some people don’t; but the best thing about showing respect, is that it can be taught.  We have all heard that respect has to be earned, but, how do you measure how much respect one has earned?  Is it by the way that person does everything you say? Or is it by the intelligence one conveys?  As long as you know the respect you are giving is worth the respect you are receiving, you have then just measured the amount that has to be earned.  Everybody wants to feel that they are worth something, whether their job is as a CEO or janitorial.  Don’t measure the amount of respect you show someone by their job title.  Measure it by who that person is.  Have you ever taken the time to say hello to the maintenance workers in your office building?  Maybe now is that time to show your respect for someone that cleans the toilets you sit on every day, and that keeps your toilet paper and paper towels stocked so you always have a supply.  Maybe it’s showing respect for your assistant who keeps your calendar in order every day.  Whatever the case is for you, know that if you are demanding respect, you must first give it.

Young Director Award 2006 - Teach Respect

Even though this ad itself is in support of young gay people... I'm sure we've all felt like the young man in this video or worse, made someone else feel this way. Displaying more hatred for ourselves than we could have for anyone else in the world... and not even showing a scratch on the surface.