"Beauty Is In The Eye of the Beholder"
We are once again rounding that bend, and readying ourselves for the same old resolutions that seem to top the personal priority lists of millions around us: Get in better shape; Eat healthier; Become a better version of me.
Good. Most folks will benefit from a few small changes in habit. Just be sure you're going into this new plan for the right reasons.
Feeling better, having more energy, and out-living your goldfish are all great ideas.
Today's rant is focused more on the overly critical tendencies that create a pattern of self-destruction in far too many otherwise happy folks, women in particular.
With New Year's day just 24 hours away, maybe what we really need to focus on is less focus, waddyathink?
Every January, many of us join the masses who have fallen prey to that commercialized version of who and what we are expected to become, while completely ignoring the fact that these carefully crafted systems of self-doubt and body-shaming by comparison are based in the very same premise as the classic Madison Avenue concept of "Keeping up with the Joneses" that was sold to our parents since the sixties: Greed.
Honestly: It is ALWAYS about profits. Every last stigma and doubt system that is carried over from each generation to torture and traumatize girls (and boys), whose only crime was being born, is and always has been about money. Nothing more. Specifically, it's about taking yours.
Uniqueness is systematically crushed by that profit machine starting in grade school, when your inherent need to socialize is used as a weapon against you.
Fashion, pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies that are built on this evil groundwork rely solely on their ability to convince you that everyone is flawed and sub-par at birth, but you can have access to the 'magic pill' that will make you acceptable...for a reasonable price, of course.
This form of social brainwashing for profit isn't new, and frankly I think we as a species should have evolved beyond this sheeple stage by now; the one that feeds our vulnerable children to this system of emotional torture for profits.
Sadly, many adults are too deeply submerged into this "I'm not quite good enough" mentality to even realize just how shallow their lives have become, and they pass this social guilt on to their children.
The makeup and drug companies aren't alone here; Enter the medical profession.
Botox, plastic surgery, and various body shaping procedures are also part of this conspiracy of personal shaming and body criticism for profits, and people are literally dying to impress their equally shallow friends.
Women are tricked into injecting toxic poisons into their faces, boobs and butts to feel competitive with Photoshopped models who are just as flawed as the rest of us.
The big difference between them and you? They lie. It's their job to lie to you, and it's also very profitable. The model is lying. The photographer is lying. Because the sponsor company doesn't profit from truth.
Ready for a little truth? Start with this: I Love You. We Love You. Just the way you are, as nature intended, as your God intended you to be.
You are not supposed to look like your neighbor, or a billboard model, or the lingerie model on the television. Why would you want to? She doesn't even look like that.
Girls:
Your mom wasn't lying: You are perfect just the way you are. Dad may have been a bit biased, but he was still telling the truth: You really are beautiful, just the way you are.
You are the only one who has a hard time seeing it because you are taught to be hyper critical of every flaw.
This is a result of the Big Lie we're talking about here today.
Your minor flaws make you unique. Your freckles are gorgeous. That dimple is the envy of a hundred people that you've passed. Your hair is your crown. Polish it, make it shine. Or don't. It's who you are. Make it yours and be proud of it.
That whole idea that this life is one big beauty competition in which you are forced to participate is a sack of commercial lies being perpetrated by the shallow and brainwashed herd, and you can be one of the lucky few who have the ability to see through the greed curtain.
One of the most beautiful traits that a woman can possess is a self confidence that demands respect.
The world is your mirror, and what you put out is exactly what comes back to you.
Be beautiful; Believe in your beauty and it will be so, because others will respond to your belief in the same manner. The secret key just went by you in that last sentence: You must Believe it.
Faking it til you make it may work for some, but for the rest of us this can be a brutally cruel world that has a knack for spotting a weakness in the facade.
You must really know beyond any doubt, that your beauty was by design and any adjustments are a waste of time because they detract from your intended purpose.
Your true beauty is not on the skin, and it is not something that disappears in the dark.
Your beauty is your strength. Your beauty is your love. Your beauty is a lingering image (feeling) that every person who meets and knows you will carry long after the first impressions have faded.
Uniqueness is a primary feature of your beauty. Something that makes you just you, and unlike anyone else. Maybe that unique gift is your art; your voice; your generosity; your empathy, or maybe you are still finding yourself and a unique gift hasn't shown itself.
For many women, their uniqueness turns out to be their destiny to create the most wonderful children the world has ever seen. This is a fine and noble life goal that many parents are honored to become.
The best version of a parent my family has ever seen. Nothing wrong with that at all; It completely dismisses the personal and social paranoias altogether, and focuses on a higher calling. Again: A noble quest indeed.
If there is a point to this yet-another New Years day rant, then it is this:
Instead of planning another year of wasted money and grueling workout schedules, just to further torture yourself by obsessing over mediocre results that weren't part of your destiny anyway, how about you (we) simply focus on Karma building and putting our egos on a diet?
There are a lot of simple changes you can make to feel healthier, and to have more energy.
The first one that I recommend is to Never Buy Diet Coke again. Ever.
The aspartame is a toxic sugar substitute that is actually making you fatter! They have removed it from their recipe to dodge the complaints from consumers, only to put it right back in under a new name.
Second; Drink a lot more water. Hydration is more than healthy; it's essential to everything else you want to do and be. Routinely flushing your kidneys and bladder will give you that healthy glow and allow your whole body to function better and handle exercise better.
That brings me to the third simple change:
Get vertical.
Sitting is killing more Americans than traffic accidents and drugs combined. Office jobs, computer time, and cable's 400 channels comprise the fat machine that clogs arteries and stops hearts prematurely.
Take a walk. Discover that little museum you've been meaning to take a peek at. Throw your sweats on and hike the bike path down the road. Thirty minutes is a good place to start.
Once this new habit becomes established (the average adult need s to repeat a new habit seven times before it registers) you will realize that you really like the way it feels. Let it progress on it's own schedule, and avoid listening too closely to bragging friends who claim they are running 75 miles today. Misery loves company.
Set your own starting point, and allow it to progress naturally. If at all. The point is to simply do something that makes you happy. An hour of fresh air and gentle exercise is more than enough for starters.
Summary: Improve yourself if you feel the need, but do it for you. Nothing else matters.
You want to feel better; You want to see your grandchildren grow up; You want to see your feet again.
Be Happy. Be Happier. Be Beautiful.
JBS.
§ Copyright HealthySelfCures.com 2016 JB Stran
All Rights Reserved. Reprints with linkback.
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The 2018 Trump Dollar coin displayis a recent example of the laser etched custom art decor from Pop's shop. Local poplar boards are stained a light to medium walnut and hand rubbed to blend perfectly with any oak or walnut decor scheme. 
