On Saturday at work one of my good friends was just being a jerk.  He was doing everything he could to get under my skin.  He finally physically shoved me out of the way to get to something.  I turned around, knocked his hardhat off his head, and asked him what his problem was.  I told him that all he needed to do was ask me to move and I would have moved.  I said being polite goes a long way.  Then I walked away and he hasn't talked to me since. 

It has weighed heavy on my heart since I did that.  I didn't harm him, I simply stood up for myself and let him know that what he was doing was unacceptable. 

This last weekend I was in Chicago with my best friend whom I help train for fitness competitions.  Being at one of these again was interesting as always.  The things WE do in pursuit of having a perfect body and FINALLY loving and accepting ourselves.  I watched so many people running around in skintight and less than nothing strutting their stuff.  It's akin to just saying, "look at me...look at me".  

I thought about this all today though.  This crazy pursuit of perfection that is rammed down EVERYONES throat so to speak.  The thing that is the most interesting to me after all these years is this.  I follow a few basic habits like keeping an optimistic mindset, eating healthy and training consistently.  I spend way less time focused on the outcome and instead focus on enjoying whatever activity I am doing at the moment.  I spend about half the time in the gym that I used to.  Yet I am probably in the best shape I have ever been in my life and am the happiest too. 

I've been meaning to make a video and include this in it, but since I haven't had the time I at least wanted to share it with all of you.  Dr. Motsuru Emoto is a Japanese doctor who has been doing research on water for a number of years now.  Now bear in mind here that water is the one element we cannot survive without.  Dr. Emoto took containers of water and played music to them, spoke to them, and taped messages to the containers.  He then took samples of the different containers of water and froze them in petri dishes.  He photographed the water crystals that formed.  He found that the water reacted to the stimuli.  These tests were repeated over and over thousands of times. 

The water he spoke nicely to, "I love you, you are beautiful, I appreciate you etc", formed beautiful water crystals.  The water he spoke negatively to, "I hate you, you are ugly, I want to kill you etc", had deformed water crystals or the water crystals were unable to form at all.  In some cases the water actually changed form and became undrinkable.  Now consider the fact that your body is probably roughly 90% water.  Think of the affect you have on your body every time you look at yourself negatively or talk to yourself negatively.  Why would you waste a minute of your life not loving yourself and the body you were blessed with.  Love and treasure who you are and your uniqueness, you are all a gift to yourself and to humanity.  Act like it! 

I AM THANKFUL...I CAN WALK.  THERE ARE THOSE WHO HAVE NEVER TAKEN THEIR FIRST STEP.

I AM THANKFUL...I CAN SEE ALL AROUND ME.  THERE ARE THOSE WHOSE WORLD IS ALWAYS DARK. 

" Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.  We are all meant to shine as children do.  We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.  IT'S NOT JUST IN SOME OF US, IT'S IN EVERYONE.  And as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

----Marianne Williamson----

The next time you are tempted to put yourself down and say I AM...no good...ugly...dumb...whatever that thought might be...keep in mind the following words.

"Own your magnificence.  The world needs your brilliance and grace."  ----Cheryl Richardson----

I love this quote, had to share it. 

Look into the faces of the people you see in public each day, and silently say: "The light of God in me salutes the light of God in you."  Do it for five minutes minimum.  I defy you to do this each day and not be happy.  ----Marianne Williamson----

Why try to be like someone else when you can only be yourself.  No one can sing the song you do, BE TRUE BE LEGENDARY YOU:)   
lyrics from the amazing band SUPERCHICK!

"Enjoy your body (flawz and all).  Use it every way you can.  Don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it.  It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own."