Word of the Week - June 2010

Word of the Week

ex·traor·di·nary

adj
\ik-ˈstrȯr-də-ˌner-ē, ˌek-strə-ˈȯr-\

Definition of EXTRAORDINARY

a : going beyond what is usual, regular, or customary <extraordinary powers>
b : exceptional to a very marked extent <extraordinary beauty>

Inspirational Quotation

With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable. ~Thomas Foxwell Buxton

The Cuteness Competition

Did you enter the "Cuteness Competition?"

Our purpose in this life is not to win at "cuteness" and yet that is all we seem to talk about. 

"Oh your outfit is so cute!"

"I love your new hair color.  It is so cute!"

"Those shoes are just absolutely too cute!!!"

This is what most people (okay probably more on the girls side of things) say and hear all day.  We are all just reinforcing to each other and ourselves the importance of "cuteness," which is NOT  important!

When is the last time you got a compliment of substance.  A compliment that had more to do with you, than anything on the surface...

More importantly when is the last time you gave someone a really genuine compliment.  A compliment about why you actually love that person. 

Superficial compliments are way easier.  They are obvious and give you something to say, and you don't even have to love the person you are giving it to, they just make you "seem nice." Rather than just "seeming nice," challenge yourself to actually love that person and you will feel more loved in return. Come up with something original.  You are smart and can think of something of substance if you concentrate.

You have an important purpose in this life and you need to concentrate your thoughts on figuring that out in order to achieve it.  Stressing about "cuteness" is wasting your time! It's just a distraction, that seems harmless, but holds you back and puts a wedge between you and others.

Fill your brain with thoughts about what you can do, instead of how you look.  Doing Great things is what makes people happy.  I have talked to a lot of really "cute" people who are totally miserable.  Trust me...looking cute doesn't solve any problems.

KNOW: Your purpose in this life is NOT to win at cuteness.

REPEAT: I am incredibly capable and I have an important purpose in this life.  I spend my time thinking about that purpose and use my talents for good.

DO: Challenge yourself to give one person a real, truly genuine compliment every day...starting today. 

True Beauty

I love this song by Mandisa!  I think it is powerful to listen to it while reading along with the lyrics.
This is one we should all have on our ipod's and be listening to everyday!

ENJOY!



Here is Mandisa with a short message for all of you!  She is awesome and I think she really does shine from the inside out!



Ponder: Would you rather have people look at you and think "Wow she looks perfect," but be afraid to talk to you because you look so perfect, or be the person who is named and thanked for their encouragement by someone who once was lost and now is found (was depressed, now loves life)?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I am going to ask you a peculiar question and I want you to read it slowly and answer it in your mind before reading the story:

Would you rather be skinny in a society that praised fatness, or be fat in a society that praised skinniness?

It is hard to imagine because we live in a society that praises skinniness, but wouldn't it be just as hard to be skinny if your society scorned it?

Dr. Steven Hawks shared this story in my "Body image, Self Esteem and Weight Loss Class" at Brigham Young University.  (It's been a while so I will paraphrase to the best of my memory):

A Brazilian girl was genetically very thin.  In her society it was a sign of health, fertility, and beauty to be more round.  She was teased and always being told to eat more.  She grew up with a terrible self image. She grew up and went to America for college.  There she was praised for her beauty and perfect figure.  Wow!  Same girl with a totally different story.  All she did was jump on an airplane. She remained in America and later married, began raising children, and gained some weight. She once again began to feel negative about her self image, but this time it was here in America because she was too fat.  The opportunity for a vacation arose and so she returned to her family and friends in Brazil.  Although she had began feeling too fat by America's standards,  in her homeland she was praised. People asked her how she had done it and told her how great she finally looked.

What a confused girl, huh?

I love this story.  I love how perfectly it demonstrates the fact that everything is relative and "Perfection" really doesn't exist.  Sometimes in your head there is an imaginary comparison going on between you and every other person.  Don't let your environment control you and tell you what you are supposed to look like! Don't be worried about what anyone around you looks like. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the only important beholder is yourself.  If you believe you are beautiful who else matters?

Well, God matters too and He created you so you know He thinks you're beautiful, and I am sure it pains him when we don't believe that about ourselves.


Know: You can believe you are beautiful without changing your appearance.

Repeat: I promise myself that I will challenge my mind to believe I am beautiful... no matter how long it takes!

Do: Rip up a ridiculously fake magazine picture of a model who probably isn't even happy and is so skinny it isn't even healthy!

Search for Happiness

There is no such thing as perfection.  If you keep searching for it... you will end up miserable.

Why???? 

Because you will never find it!!!

However...

There is such thing as happiness.

Choose to search for Happiness rather than perfection.

It can be a hard quest, but here is a great place to start:

2 Choices... #1 You could wear this t-shirt everyday

...or #2 You could do great things! I'm totally going to leave this choice up to you!

Know: Doing great things is what makes people happy.

Repeat: I challenge myself to do great things every day and I am happy! (Yes I want you to actually repeat it out loud, unless you are in a public place near awkwards, then in your head will suffice!)

Do: Do something great today!  Or even just start doing something great today.  It doesn't have to take long or be hard to be great.  Random acts of kindness, making a goal and taking the first step toward it, getting involved in a cause, smiling, helping, persevering...the possibilities are endless!

Make it a habit and BAM!!! you are turning into a happy and extraordinary person!