Best Advice.Ever. (part 1)

If you have not heard Baz Lurhmann's "Everybody Must Wear Sunscreen" (based on an essay by Mary Schmich), you MUST. This commencement speech does have the best advice that anyone and everyone can use.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.

You are NOT as fat as you imagine.

We all have this problem. I can look at myself in the mirror every day and find at least 5 things that I don't like. I'm embarrassed to say that, but it is true; and for most women, it happens. I challenge you to look in the mirror and really look at what you are seeing. So what if I have a zit; maybe my eyes are a little puffy or dark today; I don't like my nose. Maybe I see a little bit of a muffin top when i wear jeans, maybe my arms aren't as firm as they should be, but that's me. Next time you look in the mirror, try to see the beautiful person that you are; no one notices those flaws as much as you do. Anyone who notices those flaws and uses them to discount you from the beautiful person that you are has no business in your life.

All of those things you see; the flaws that make you want to hide on some days. They can be fixed. It may take some time, but being positive and most importantly not cutting yourself down, will help you find ways to fix these things. Don't concentrate too much on a diet because you will think that others will find you more attractive. Do it because it will make you feel better. Don't call yourself fat; instead, celebrate yourself and the progress you've made. Keep having fun while in the process of bettering yourself, that way when you reach your goal, you will have all of those memories and beautiful times to look back on. Life doesn't put itself on hold just because you aren't satisfied with yourself, and you should never put your life on hold for that reason. Focus on your positives aspects while improving on what you perceive as your negatives.