Monday Mantra: On the inside / Zero is not a size

A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation".

Every Monday I will post a new thought, idea, or focus for the week. When you need a breather from life, when you need a little inspiration, or when you're about to jump over the conference table and strangle your co-worker, remember the mantra.

Monday Mantra: Where are you the most beautiful? On the inside

It's been a while since I've written with careless abandon. I've been more cautious with my words, more timid with my sharing of thoughts. I catch myself questioning what I want to say. I felt a need to build a safety net of sorts around myself. And that meant being a little less me than normal. That little less bothers me…a lot.

In an attempt to be a lot more of me, I'm pushing myself. To try harder, to live once again with a more open heart, to have more fun in the ways I have fun, and to not shrink back from what other people think about what I think. Ultimately, I'm trying to Be More Me.

It's funny how much you can change over time. I think back to a version of myself 10 years younger who was so hell bent on Making It In Life that it never occurred to me to care that much about others opinions of me. Not that I didn't think about it, because I did, but I cared far more about what I thought about me than about what they thought of me. Somewhere along the road that all changed. That change is the problem.

Part of the problem is the world, part of the problem is how easily it affects me. And everyone, really. The images on blast constantly of what we should look like, what we have to do to look like that, what we should spend our money on to get to that visual, and how then we should act after we do all of that- it's overwhelmingly exhausting.

The other day I found this article of a father writing to his daughter of what beauty really is. Not a makeup bottle, a magazine cover, someone else's opinion of you, or the size of your clothes. It's on the inside. It's your heart, your inner goodness, the value you add to the world by your actions.

Then I ran across this old but lovely picture of Sophia Bush back from her One Tree Hill days and the campaign against eating disorders- Zero is not a Size. I adore Sophia Bush, not just for her awesome acting skills, but for her awesome human being skills. Not only is she truly fighting the good fight against eating disorders in real life, she's also out there saving animals, saving the world, fighting for equality, and demonstrating what it is to be a strong and beautiful woman through her actions. We need more role models like her in the world.

We need to be those role models. For ourselves, our friends, our family, our children.

February 23 - March 1 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Go here to find more information on helping yourself or helping someone you love with an eating disorder.

Also, take a moment to read the article the father wrote to his daughter and let it all soak in. Repeat his words to yourself when you're having a moment of self doubt or self criticism.

Where are you the most beautiful? 

On the inside.

On the inside is what counts.