As women we are conditioned to compare ourselves to each other in beauty as well as brains. Our view of ourselves begins with what our parents, teachers and friends tell us as we’re growing up. From magazines and billboards to conversations at home and school; we hear and see perceptions of beauty or perfection everywhere we turn. More often than not, we aren’t the prettiest or smartest girl in school or woman at work.
I’ve got news for you… The girl who you thought was the prettiest or smartest didn’t think that of herself. She was just like you…thinking that she wanted to look like someone else or be as smart as someone else.
How do you see yourself?
There was a recent social experiment that is a great example of this topic. It is a social experiment where women are asked to describe themselves to a sketch artist. The women then meet with another person who describes them to the same sketch artist. What emerged are two different views of each woman – how she sees herself and how someone else sees them.
The women realize that how they see themselves has influenced all aspects of their lives – their health, who they choose as friends, how they speak to their children and spouses, and which career path they have selected.
Our self-perception can greatly affect our health
When one looks in the mirror and perceives to see a person who is not beautiful they sometimes make decisions that are to their own detriment. Plastic surgery (or too much plastic surgery) and eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are often the result of a poor self-image. We just aren’t seeing the beauty that others may see in us and we are making decisions that aren’t healthy for us.
Our self-image is impacting how others see us.
Self-image goes farther than just the way you see yourself, it affects how others see you as well. If you’re a 
business owner who doesn’t see the value in what you do for your customer it is very likely that your customers aren’t going to see the value in what you do for them either!
It’s time to see yourself differently and here’s how:
- Be grateful for your natural beauty…
- Recognize you are beautiful in your own unique way…
- Acknowledge the beauty in others…
As you begin to see the beauty in others, more importantly on the inside as well as the outside, you will also begin to see your own beauty! Enjoy your personal and unique self…it makes you one of a kind!
