Beauty and the Beast... Not a Traditional Disney Love Story

I used to look in the mirror and this is what I saw... Beast... Frump... Plain... Boring.

I used to look in the mirror and this is what I thought... My nose is too big... I have buck teeth... I don’t like the circles under my eyes... I don’t like my body... I am overweight... I don’t like my rolls... I am not lovable... I am not interesting... I am not good enough.

I used to look in the mirror and this is what I felt... Depressed, Sad, Anxious, Scared.

Can you relate?

When in your life has your inner critic been the lead designer and ruled your life’s catwalk?

When in your life has your negative thoughts and feelings design minions heckled you... said you are not good enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not talented enough...audition after audition after audition?

It was so exhausting, y’all!

So what changed?

ME.

I was so run down, depressed, tired, and done with life...I hit rock bottom and realized I needed to change or die... no joke... I chose to change... I chose to take my life back!

I focused on shifting the lenses I viewed the world through...I switched out my depressed lenses for realistic rosy ones.

I read self-help and empowerment books/articles and practiced what I learned.

I accepted mistakes as experiments to learn from, vice to avoid at all costs… I realized my growth and change wouldn’t be linear but a big scribble (with progress forward and steps back)... because I understood that is how we make new habits... and learned to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.

I implemented what I learned in bite-size ways, consistently... I celebrated the small wins... and noticed how they added up to some big changes!

I focused on shifting my mindset. Flipping from a fight-or-flight, negative mindset to a possibility-based, positive mindset... while at the same time curiously observing the negative thoughts... opened up new opportunities and increased my confidence and attitude.

I invited my inner critic and the minions to a “My Life” design meeting and let them know they were no longer lead designers... they were not happy with the change... they still write negative reviews that get my attention... but instead of believing them... I take a critical look at where it isn’t true... so empowering!

I focused on practicing gratitude...

I looked in the mirror and focused on what I did like about me... which brought to awareness new ways of seeing me... I even practiced saying, “I love and accept all of me”... felt untrue at first... but it works, y’all!

Now I look in the mirror and see... Beauty… Aging like fine wine… Grace… Strength… Funny… Sassy (yes, those are red sparkle combat boots!)!

Now I look in the mirror and think... I love and accept my body... I am Beautiful... I am good enough... I am loved!

Now I look in the mirror and feel... Happy, Calm, Peace, Confident, and Fierce!

Y’all, if beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

What do you see? Your Choice... Beauty or the Beast?

-Taz