Happy Tuesday! You are probably your own worst critic most of the time, am I right? You also have the power to create your own story of how you look, like it or not.

Recently, I went to a beautiful beach on a bright and warm sunny day. On this particular day, I left my old negative self-talk behind to see how it would feel to enjoy time wearing my bathing suit in a different way with a different outlook. I, like many other women, don’t exactly love the experience of wearing a bathing suit. However, I had decided ahead of time to think differently today. I brought my positive reframed version of myself to the sandy oasis in search of a more fun, relaxed experience.

As I got ready at the hotel before heading to the beach, I slipped on my bathing suit, looked in the mirror, and gave myself a thumbs up for putting it on and owning that it  was really me in the mirror. I’m pretty sure that it will be a slow process to shift my mindset to feel enthusiastically fabulous in the mirror and that is okay. Since I no longer strive for perfection, just for my very best, I decided that I was worth a smile of approval for showing up like this today. MIND SHIFT #1: I’m grateful for the body that I have and am responsible for taking care of it and for keeping it healthy.

At the beach, I sat in the sun for a while and did a lot of people watching, which is fascinating to me. I always try to learn from other people and am curious how they look and how they carry themselves. There were ladies of all ages, all shapes and sizes, and all walks of life in all different kinds of bathing suits. Some women were jiggly, some were fit and firm, some wore flattering suits, some were squeezing out of their suits, some sat around and looked shy to be seen while others didn’t care for one second what anyone might think. Those who didn’t seem to care looked like they were having the most fun. They were enjoying life instead of sitting on the sidelines holding everyone else’s towels. Which would you prefer to be doing?

It struck me that nobody really cares what you look like in your bathing suit except you and who cares if anyone actually does care? WOW!!! Light bulb AHA moment right there! MINDSET SHIFT #2:  What other people think about you is none of your business!

I really think I made a breakthrough that day by not worrying about what others might think about me in my bathing suit and it made a difference in how I enjoyed my time at the beach that day. Your tale of the bathing suit is waiting to be written by you and only you! You get to decide what to wear and how to wear it! What an empowering thought! Shifting your focus into a state of gratitude for who you are added to the decision to enjoy life’s moments makes all the difference. So, put yourself out there in a pair of shorts, bathing suit or whatever you want to wear and stand tall and confident! Go ahead and take one small step this week to be your authentic self on your terms! It will feel great!

You’ve got this!

Georgette