Imagine yourself waking up one morning to find that you are "living the dream" using your unique talents in a fully satisfying way, that you feel wonderful in your body, and that your life feels rich and complete. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Now ask yourself, how much time and money have you spent trying to live up to the cultural ideal of feminine beauty? Every year women around the world spend billions on dieting and cosmetic procedures. People put massive amount of life energy into studying the latest diet, planning menus, agonizing over food choices, depriving themselves, and doing forms of exercise they don't even enjoy. There is so much more to life than the endless quest to make you body look perfect.
It doesn't have to be that way. We need to aim to create balance in our lives if we are going to feel satisfied with ourselves. We need to be fit and healthy to feel enabled to chase our dreams and desires and to help us achieve what is important to us in our lives. But the focus should not be on physically looking good and trying to live up to the ideals of the fashion and movie world, but to aim at being the best we can be to enable us to define ourselves by what we share with the world. We need to spend our life energy enriching the world around us instead of spending all our time trying to look beautiful. Aim to focus on your family and friends, your community and contribute to your world with your unique talents.
Unfortunately today women are subtly taught to define themselves strictly by how they look. And the look we're taught to desire isn't even obtainable. Many of the models and actresses we see on TV and in magazines are above average height, being 5"9" plus and weight in at 110 pounds. For them their physical appearance truly is their business and they spend a great proportion of their time to achieve a "look" that for most is unattainable. The average women stands at 5'4" and 140 pounds and just isn't ever going to look like that model no matter how hard she tries.
Some of the time and money we spend trying to look like those actresses and models could be much better spent living a great life and pursuing our inner most dreams. There is a sadness in the desperate quest for beauty. It is much more graceful and will give you greater fulfilment to accept the wonderful body you were born with and to put your life energies and money into making a meaningful contribution to the world around you by looking after your body with good nutrition and exercise and educating your mind to develop your interests.
We each have much more to give than just trying to achieve a cultural beauty standard. You are beautiful right now, exactly as you are, create your own standard by being the best you can be.
Remember you are more than the "look" you present to the world. Inside you lives your individual hopes, dreams, talents and the potential for a joyful, rich life.
Life goes by in the blink of an eye. So make the most of the time that you have and live your life to your hearts content.
