Its been a tough week for me; waylaid by university mid-semester crunch, as well as a debilitating migraine, I’ve been unable to keep up with nearly everything, including working out. This week became a forced rest week of all types, but now that I am on the mend, I am thrilled to return to my website with such a positive message. I hope you will enjoy.
Recently, I was contacted by a spokesperson for Dove, who asked if I would like to get involved with the Dove Movement as a role model. Aside from being incredibly flattered, I was just thrilled for the opportunity, for I have always felt strongly about the Campaign for Real Beauty, and even more so, the Campaign for Self Esteem. I believe these movements to be incredibly important, for several reasons.
Self esteem is the foundation of how we conduct ourselves, both in public and in private. Self esteem determines how we view the world, and how we assess our own capabilities. Healthy self esteem can help us achieve amazing successes in life, and a negative self esteem can be one of the most damaging and detrimental aspects of our experience. Without self esteem, we are at risk of being taken advantage of, mis treated, or being made to feel as if we are not special. And that is simply not the case. Individuality and uniqueness are our greatest blessings, and aspects we should celebrate, and nurture for the next generation. But often, we are swept away in the Hollywood glamor of what is considered to be beautiful, and are left feeling less than special. It is every parent’s dream that their child feel good about themselves… but where does that confidence start?
On October 22nd-24th, Dove is hosting the Self Esteem Weekend to promote Self Esteem Awareness:
“Imagine a world where every girl grows up with the self-esteem she needs to reach her full potential, and where every woman enjoys feeling confident in her own beauty. Imagine the world of possibilities we can open up by helping to build self-esteem in the people we love most. Our movement is building a world where women everywhere have the tools to inspire each other and the girls in their lives.”
One of the staples of this movement is the Question, “What do you wish you had known at 13?”
I’d like to think that at 13, I was a very lucky child. I transitioned through puberty without worry or self consciousness, and did not doubt in myself. I attribute this to having amazing parents who taught me the beauty of being different, and even more importantly, the beauty of confidence. I couldn’t be more grateful for having grown up very sure of myself. Yet, I still have an answer for this question:
I wish I had understood the importance of health and fitness. I may have been confident, but I was not taking care of myself as much as I could have. There is a possibility many of the struggles I dealt with on account of my lungs would have been avoided at a much earlier age, had I put the dedication in. Much of my frustrations with gym classes and gym teachers may have ceased to exist, and I may have never seen that stress-causing C blemishing my report card.
Click on the picture to the right to get involved with this wonderful movement and its empowering message. Just one hour out of your life could change a young girl’s entire future. Spread the message of love, compassion, and self esteem. Dove has reached over 6 million girls since the start of 2010, and is looking to double that by the end. (They have achieved it once, as you may see in the image below).
Help us do away with thoughts of self-doubt, self harm, suicide and sadness, help us abolish negative body images and eating disorders, help us make the unattainable ideal of beauty an image that lives only in memory: help us promote the special and unique beauty every man, woman and child possesses within. Make a difference this weekend, and change a life forever.
How fortunate too that this movement should fall in sync with the Wear Purple Campaign currently circulating the world, for acceptance of everyone and who they are. I feel compelled to mention this movement as well, because I believe that self-esteem is not something we should only be targeting young girls for.
Everyone is at risk of low self esteem, whether it be because of how someone looks, what someones gender is, what their sexual orientation is, and more. This weekend, and this movement are all powerful reminders that we need to push for acceptance of EVERYONE, and to make every individual feel loved.
In the spirit, I ask everyone who leaves a comment on this post to tell me what you love about yourself.
Its been a tough week for me; waylaid by university mid-semester crunch, as well as a debilitating migraine, I’ve been unable to keep up with nearly everything, including working out. This week became a forced rest week of all types, but now that I am on the mend, I am thrilled to return to my website with such a positive message. I hope you will enjoy.
Self esteem is the foundation of how we conduct ourselves, both in public and in private. Self esteem determines how we view the world, and how we assess our own capabilities. Healthy self esteem can help us achieve amazing successes in life, and a negative self esteem can be one of the most damaging and detrimental aspects of our experience. Without self esteem, we are at risk of being taken advantage of, mis treated, or being made to feel as if we are not special. And that is simply not the case. Individuality and uniqueness are our greatest blessings, and aspects we should celebrate, and nurture for the next generation. But often, we are swept away in the Hollywood glamor of what is considered to be beautiful, and are left feeling less than special. It is every parent’s dream that their child feel good about themselves… but where does that confidence start?
On October 22nd-24th, Dove is hosting the Self Esteem Weekend to promote Self Esteem Awareness:
“Imagine a world where every girl grows up with the self-esteem she needs to reach her full potential, and where every woman enjoys feeling confident in her own beauty. Imagine the world of possibilities we can open up by helping to build self-esteem in the people we love most. Our movement is building a world where women everywhere have the tools to inspire each other and the girls in their lives.”
One of the staples of this movement is the Question, “What do you wish you had known at 13?”
I’d like to think that at 13, I was a very lucky child. I transitioned through puberty without worry or self consciousness, and did not doubt in myself. I attribute this to having amazing parents who taught me the beauty of being different, and even more importantly, the beauty of confidence. I couldn’t be more grateful for having grown up very sure of myself. Yet, I still have an answer for this question:
I wish I had understood the importance of health and fitness. I may have been confident, but I was not taking care of myself as much as I could have. There is a possibility many of the struggles I dealt with on account of my lungs would have been avoided at a much earlier age, had I put the dedication in. Much of my frustrations with gym classes and gym teachers may have ceased to exist, and I may have never seen that stress-causing C blemishing my report card.
Help us do away with thoughts of self-doubt, self harm, suicide and sadness, help us abolish negative body images and eating disorders, help us make the unattainable ideal of beauty an image that lives only in memory: help us promote the special and unique beauty every man, woman and child possesses within. Make a difference this weekend, and change a life forever.
How fortunate too that this movement should fall in sync with the Wear Purple Campaign currently circulating the world, for acceptance of everyone and who they are. I feel compelled to mention this movement as well, because I believe that self-esteem is not something we should only be targeting young girls for.
Everyone is at risk of low self esteem, whether it be because of how someone looks, what someones gender is, what their sexual orientation is, and more. This weekend, and this movement are all powerful reminders that we need to push for acceptance of EVERYONE, and to make every individual feel loved.
In the spirit, I ask everyone who leaves a comment on this post to tell me what you love about yourself.