Posts Tagged SELF
SelfExpression
I’m always been an avid SELF reader and today at the gym I read an article, “Getting a Grip” in the new April issue that seemed to be written for me at this exact moment. Funny how that works, right?!
I can’t find the article online — grrrr. But I hope you can get a copy yourself, or maybe Monday I’ll try to scan it and post it — it’s a worthy read.
I’m not going to analyze it here — I welcome you to read it on your own and process it. It’s tennis star Monica Seles’ journey to realize that the ball is, indeed, in our own court. It’s well-written and really hammers home the message that we ARE in control of our own destinies.
I’ve had four days now of just feeling good. Empowered. And I hope the streak continues, because I believe it can.
8 comments March 21, 2009
To Thine Own Self Be True
This month’s SELF magazine, which focuses on the notion of finding your “happy weight,” has a great quote about body acceptance that I shared a couple weeks ago.
“Life is far too rich, interesting and short to waste on hating your body.”
I re-read the magazine in its entirety last night at the gym … and seeing that quote again just reinforced the message of really loving yourself as you are … hard as it may be for me (and so many of us) some days.
As I read, I found myself drawn in particular to two articles.
The first one (which I can’t find online) features six nude (but modestly/strategically covered up — it’s not pornographic or sexual at all) women of all different shapes, races and body types.
As I looked at each woman’s shape, I was able to see a bit of myself in each of them … in spite of their own variance. (more…)
15 comments February 3, 2009
Soar With Your Strengths
… Which I’ll be honest, I thought sounded totally cheesy and ridiculous at first glance.
But after a brief perusal of the little pocket-sized book, I realized just how on to something the author was.
The book spoke reality: all too often in school or at work, we’re encouraged to fix the things that are “wrong” with us. To get better at this or improve that. Well, this book’s premise is the exact opposite.
If a student isn’t good at math, the book argues, don’t try to make her love it. Rather, let her flourish in her passion for British lit or pyschology.
If an employee is really good at Excel and administrative tasks, don’t put him on the phone making cold calls to new business prospects.
Sure, every corporate executive can benefit from media training. But that doesn’t mean that shy executive X should necessarily be the face of your company in a live interview on CNN to the world … especially not if he’s better at the written word or telephone interrogations.
If we strengthen the things we’re good at, the book proposes, instead of spending energy and money trying to fix what’s “wrong” with us, won’t we be better students and more productive employees? Better friends, better lovers, better partners? YES! (more…)
11 comments January 5, 2009
“Happy” Weight Vs. “Fighting Weight”
Call it the weight loss/maintenance limbo: “How low are you willing to go?”
A couple months ago, SELF magazine had an article/quiz about finding your “happy” weight.
I had to laugh when it said my “happy weight” was 135, which ironically, had been my original WW goal.
HA.
Their idea of a “happy weight” is my idea of a “fighting weight,” a weight that I might not reach without serious deprivation or over-exercising … and even if I got there, it wouldn’t necessarily be maintainable in the long-term.
How do I know this? Well, the truth is (shhhh!!!), the lowest I ever got on Weight Watchers (on my old scale) was 138.4 (Note: on my new scale I never saw below 144).
I saw that “beautiful 138.4″ twice, and nearly cried for joy seeing a “3″ in my stats (though in reality it was probably not accurate).
And you know what? Both times I shot up to 142 the following week. At the time, I didn’t understand it. Until then, I’d been losing steadily, so why did I hit that wall? (more…)
14 comments September 10, 2008
