Funny, Fickle Things

Beauty is a funny, fickle thing. Everyone values beauty especially as a means of attraction for love, money, love and money, power; etc. We are told to be wary of beauty, to treasure beauty, to become beautiful; beauty, though said to be in the eye of the beholder, does have an objective standard. The problem with beauty's "objective standard" is that some people pretend that they have made, or can decide, that "objective standard".

People like that make people like me feel like, well, to put it in layman's terms: crap.

I am not a Victoria's Secret model. Neither are many of the women that walk through our dance studio. Even none of the men that walk through here are GQ models. But why their lack of model perfection should merit insecurities and hesitations and timidity is unfounded- so, I'll correct my statement: beauty is not a funny, fickle thing. Critics are funny, fickle people.

People can grow and learn from positive and negative criticism. I'm sure that everyone has to look in the mirror sometime and decide what he or she needs to change about his or her self in order to be better...

Because beauty needs to be cared for and loved more than it needs to be perfected and idolized.

You don't need to be a Victoria's Secret or GQ model to deserve someone's love, admiration, or respect. All you need is to love yourself first- cliche, indeed, but that makes it no less true- and surround yourself with those who love you, and think you are beautiful any day of the week probably because you think that they too are beautiful any day of the week.

Beauty could be made-up well, dressed well, tall and lithe. Beauty could be frizzy, short and stubby.

The only time a person is ugly is when he or she cannot find beauty, or diminish beauty, in everything he or she sees.

Resolutions to be Made!

Making a New Year's Resolution is tricky-tricky business.

But you already know that.

What you don't know is that you can change your New Year's Resolution during the New Year.

WHAT?

Yup. Know why? Because 'change' is not synonymous with 'break'.

Let's say- hypothetically- you decide your New Year's Resolution is to lose weight. Yay. So, after much research and recommendation you buy The 21-Day Sugar Detox. Super cool! This book will motivate you to stay away from sugar--this is going to be a great new year. You are totally going to lose that weight.

But five days into the detox you're munching on a candy bar.

Oh. No. The Doors of Drama have opened! You're a complete failure! You're going to go cry in a corner now! You're never going to lose weight!

Calm down. 

For starters, you're not a failure, crying is a good form of release, and hey- you're a strong person--you'll lose weight.

So, you gave into temptation with the candy bar. Whatevs, bro! Whatevs! You can totally pick yourself back up and just start over because the worst thing about failure is not that you've failed- the worst thing about failure is that it may stop you from trying again and again and again.

OR! Let's say you attempt the sugar detox but now you're feeling woozy and weak. Are you just being a wimp now?

Probably not. Remember how you're supposed to consult your doctor before trying a new diet or exercise? Well, did you?! Your body is probably trying to tell you something if it's in pain- pain like you're-doing-a push-up-incorrectly-pain.

You're still not a failure.

Feel free to cry if you want.

You are still a strong person. 

Find a new diet. Ask friends what they've done. You are a Google search away from finding a new way. There are a million-ba-jillion ways to change your New Year's Resolution; besides- isn't making and committing to a New Year's Resolution all about change anyway?

Hell yeah, you can change that Resolution.

NOTE: This applies to any and all kinds of Resolutions, not just dietary ones. 

I know. December just started, how dare I talk about New Year's Resolutions, right?

Plan early, toots; ain't no time like the present! You may even prove to be an encouragement to your friends, family, and maybe strangers.