Long Beautiful Hair...

This morning I am literally overflowing with nervous energy.  At approximately 6:30pm EST, the Green Bay Packers are playing for all the marbles (a.k.a the Super Bowl) and my anxiety has been building for weeks!!  It was so bad during the NFC Championship game that my friends threatened to slip a Valium into my beer because they were concerned for my health!

Undoubtedly the week’s biggest Super Bowl headline has been Clay Matthews and his precious, flowing, golden locks.  Personally, I am a big hair supporter!  But I know plenty of people who have been praying for him to get a haircut.  My conservative, proper Wisconsin grandmother simply cannot understand why a young, good looking man with money would maintain this long ‘unkept’ hair!

While listening to both sides of the ‘Great Hair Debate,’ I decided that this week’s focus should be on appearance and perspective.  Some may wonder what appearance has to do with perspective.  My answer would be EVERYTHING.  One of the first things that my life coach and I worked on was Health and Appearance because it is typically a big issue for people.  My problem wasn’t so much that I didn’t think I was pretty, because on some deeper level I knew that I was.  My issue was more with not being pretty ‘enough.’  The ‘enough’ part can be quite difficult.  Not pretty enough, not fit enough, not smart enough, not funny enough…the list can go on and on. 

What is enough?  I am here to tell you that ‘enough’ does not exist.  No matter how hard you work and how many tears may fall; you will never get there…so why keep trying?  What does it do for you?  You are stressed because you feel inadequate based on some illusionary standard of perfection.  Then on top of the stress comes frustration, anger, sadness and resentment…sounds like a real fun time doesn’t it?

Here’s the deal, plain and simple, stop thinking you aren’t good enough and be happy.  Isn’t that what life is all about?  It easy to say that you are happy but it isn’t until you actually believe and feel you are happy that things start to change for the better. 

This is where perspective comes in.  Clay Matthews believes, whole heartedly, that his hair is glossy and beautiful.  If tomorrow he proclaimed his hair a gift from god, I would not be surprised because the man has more love for his hair than anyone I’ve ever met and/or heard of. 

From your perspective, is Clay Matthew’s hair a shiny, beautiful, blonde, naturally highlighted gift from god?  Well, guess what it doesn’t matter what you think because he loves his hair so much that he got someone to insure it for $1 million dollars!!!  Can your hair say that?

The most powerful tool for happiness is right inside your head!  You just have to change perspective!!

If only it were that simple, right? Well guess what…it’s pretty simple!  Some of you are probably thinking, “Who is this girl and why is she irritatingly optimistic?”  To get some credibility I’ll say that up until about nine months ago whenever some ‘sunshine and rainbows’ person was squawking in my ear, my thoughts were anything but positive!

But at some point you realize that its time for a change.  I was tired of only being happy part of the time and I was tired of saying, “If only I do this better, my life would be perfect.”  You set yourself up for failure that way and feeling like you failed yourself all the time isn’t a pleasant existence.   

So I took a small step in the right direction.  The first thing that I did was to write down something that I wanted to believe about myself.

“I love and approve of myself right now....and I am getting better every day”

I put that on a note card and taped it to my bathroom mirror.  Every morning and every evening when I brushed my teeth, I repeated that phrase over and over in my head until I started believing it.  

Within a week I could feel my whole outlook started to shift.  Even my friends were noticing a huge difference.  It just took one little change in perspective to get the ball rolling!

So whether your issue is with your looks, your body, your talents, your fitness, your hair, your teeth, your smile, your skin, your height, your weight…whatever it may be, do yourself a favor and become your own best friend.  Shift your perspective and I promise you won’t be sorry!

Until next Sunday…

GO PACK!!