Diamonds

A brave woman by the name of Marianne Williamson once wrote in her book entitled, Return to Love, this quote, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?"

Ever since starting Students for Real Beauty I have used this quote as a source of inspirational wisdom. You may be asking yourself, " What is she talking about? I always feel inadequate..."

The truth is, human being are like diamonds, yes, diamonds. We have all of these different facets, each giving off their own spectra of color. We are found by someone in the rough, cut, polished, and eventually end up shining brighter than any other star in the night sky. Sometimes all it takes is for someone to show you just how truly beautiful you are. That is why this movement is so essential, to show people that the person they see in the mirror DOES shine bright and has the potential to do great things; to change things, to move people.

This was posted on the TWLOHA website and was so inspiring I had to repost it. It was beautiful, deep, and simply heartfelt. It was what many of us need to hear. Enjoy.
Thanks Elizabeth Callavaro for sharing!
http://www.twloha.com/blog/dear-body-letter-inspired-by-1

Dear Body,

I’ve always let some imperfection or another stand in the way of me seeing what you truly are, that you are beautiful. You are a divine creation housing the most valuable thing known to the universe, my soul. I’m beginning to realize that a person’s soul has the capacity to radiate light that transcends all the characteristics that I have been conditioned to believe are flaws.

You naturally tell a story. Your blue-green veins are like a map to where your heart has been and where it is going. The curve of your waist and the shape of your cheekbones tell a tale of heritage and ethnicity. There are crayon markings on the wall somewhere that has measured your height throughout the years. Always returning to the same spot to see how you’ve changed.

Your eyes bare resemblance to nature. They are a deep forest green with golden yellow sunflower flecks. Your faded birthmark, once beet red, brought me shame because all I wanted was to conform. It now reminds me of how unique you are and all I want is to be different.

Your body begins as a story but continues with new chapters throughout your life. Some are chapters of sadness and pain, others of joy, and all of growth. Each chapter a blank canvas meant to be painted by our experiences. Photos are memories but so are our bodies in a way that’s more real, no posing and no fakeness.

I’m realizing these things now, but I’m so sorry that I didn’t realize them before. I’ve done everything I could to destroy the canvas and deface and burn the pages of different chapters.

I’ve waged war on you before; used razor blades to feel and drugs to numb. I’ve used caffeine to stay awake and alcohol to sleep. Abusing the side effects of my prescription drugs like loss of appetite, to deliberately starve myself into making you skinnier. I’ve spent far too much time on a scale that merely weighs your effect on gravity, not the depth of your beauty. I wanted you to look like one of those girls in the magazines.

But in the ruins there is still a canvas. There is still beauty in your brokenness. The faded scars show healing reminding me that even though I’ve been in dark places, I’ve survived and learned and become stronger.

Although the war is over, the world still takes its toll. You have calluses on your hands from me writing too much and concentrating too hard. Yet the words are beautiful and the studying is worth it. You have the ache when it rains from broken bones, and stretch marks from growing too fast. You have burns from jobs and scars from falls. But those experiences were worth it.

Dear body, as I grow older I worry about how you will age. Together we gain wisdom and wrinkles, after being young and beautiful and naïve. The wisdom tells us that the beauty doesn’t subside, it only changes, and more of it comes from within. So I won’t worry when my hair doesn’t look just right, or when I do something stupidly funny and emerge with another scar because you are telling a story. And what would I be without my story and my past?

Valentine's Day & News

This Valentine's Day, know you're beautiful.
You don't need a boy or girl to tell you that ♥
Lots of love,
SFRB Officers

Also, Students for Real Beauty's President, Laura Olivos will be on WFSU Channel 4 Starting Monday at 6 p.m! Tune in & be proud to be an SFRB member!
For more information on meeting times and dates please visit our facebook group site:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=31696274228
and RSVP to our workshop training coming soon on the 22nd!

Make beautiful things...even if nobody cares...

It's a chilly Sunday afternoon, and I sit here with a cup of chamomile in my warm flannel pajamas attempting to feel better. I have been rather sick lately and it's been hard for me to get back into the routine of things. Nonetheless, browsing through blogs makes me happy. I recently came across a post that was recently added onto the Invisible Children website.
Invisible Children is an organization that is composed of change hungry activists who are pleading Congress to pass a bill for the Invisible Children of Uganda to come home. You can check out more information for the cause here: www.invisiblechildren.com. I fully support them and have myself marched to the very steps of the Florida capitol for them. On this website you will find a blog they have (like SFRB) where they post inspirational tidbits and pick me ups. I came across one such post recently which I thought had much relevance towards our organization. Truly inspiring.
In it they talk about a graphic designer by the name of Saul Bass. In his lifetime, he has "designed titles of iconic films such as Psycho, North by Northwest, Vertigo, and Around the World in 80 days" In a recent interview Bass talks about his work throughout the years and what relevance it has in his life. He says, "The fact of the matter is that I want everything that I do personally to be beautiful. I don’t give a damn whether the client understands that that’s worth anything or that the client thinks it’s worth anything or whether it is worth anything. It’s worth it to me. It’s the way I want to live my life. I want to make beautiful things even if nobody cares. "
In our organization we talk about inner beauty, self esteem, and the art of confidence, yet one thing we haven't touched on is how we truly use those learned qualities and apply them in our daily life. If we as individuals want to be walking talking examples of Real Beauty it starts with trying to aim your passions and talents to "make beautiful things even if nobody cares..." In this world we have fears. Particularly the fear of rejection. "What will they say? What will they think?" Who would ever want to relive those days in high school where your heart was broken in more ways than in a romantic sense. Take it from me, do not let anyone stop you. You matter. You are capable of making beautiful things and making your life beautiful and memorable.
Just a thought.

DailyBooth

Personally, I think one of the best ways to become completely comfortable with yourself is to know yourself. With that in mind, one of my new year's resolutions has been to take a picture of myself every day on dailybooth.com. Not only has it been a highly personal endeavor, but also very social! It's been a great way to keep in touch with my bffl who lives 7 hours away, and one day when trying out a new outfit I got a bunch of great comments from strangers!

So make an account, y'all... and FOLLOW ME!