I keep seeing the same photo of a woman being posted on Facebook.   A photo of a woman who I have known for a very long time.  A lovely photo.  She looks beautiful but she isn’t the same person I once knew and I was thankful the photo was tagged so that I could identify her.   At some point, surgery happened.  Now the smile that shines comes from a nice tight face which looks full and perfectly defined.  Her body which was once petite and thin has become quite voluptuous with time and money.  She looks lovely, yet it makes me sad.

These photos represent the same path of so many women who are unhappy  inside and out. They can’t accept what life and time has given them.   I always encourage people to invest in themselves but this is not the type of investment I personally recommend.  I refuse to judge anyone who makes this choice but wish other steps could have been taken to foster self-esteem.  I certainly understand the “look better, feel better” motto but nobody is perfect.  Please embrace your imperfections.  For example, I was fortunate enough to inherit the Fritz nose.  It’s not lovely.  It’s not even straight.  It’s not even close to being small and petite.  People constantly ask me if it has been broken.  No, not broken, I was born this way! 

In order to feel better on the inside and out, invest in yourself.  Make a time investment.  Everyone deserves a little “me” time away from the chaos.  Find something that helps you feel better about you and fosters self-worth and self-confidence.  This doesn’t mean hitting the bar with your friends for drinks.  Who feels better about themselves after that?  Who is better prepared to dive right back into family life after cocktail hour?  Not me!  Hit the gym, go for a walk, run, ride your bike, connect with nature.  Do something to clear your mind and suddenly you will be a lot more appreciative of life as it is even with all those little bumps in the road.

Focus on building your confidence.  If you feel good about yourself, just the way that you are, you will be more productive and be a better mom, wife, employee and athlete.  Be confident!  Here are a few tips from eHow to help you get the job done, please take the time to read thru these tips as they can help you in so many aspects of your running life.

1. Confidence is one of the most important factors to building self esteem. In order to be confident, one must become very positive. Love yourself no matter what people say about you, and always keep your head up high.
2. When building self esteem, it is very important to include positive self talk. This may be a very silly skill to you, but to some people, this can help a lot. When you use the self talk method it reduces your stress. Also, sending a good message to your brain can improve your self esteem.
3. Choosing good and supporting friends is also one of the most important ways to improve your self esteem. Make sure to choose friends that will not criticize you, or make fun of you in any way. Having supportive friends can boost you self esteem magnificently. Anyways, why would you want to have a friend that makes fun of you?
4. Volunteering for any city or services builds self esteem also. When you volunteer for an organization, you make yourself feel better, in return, building your self esteem. Not only do you help yourself, but you also help others. When the people you help say thank you, you become very confident and proud of yourself.
5. If you are struggling with building self esteem, try something new. When you try something new, make sure that it is a little out of your comfort zone. When you accomplish something out of your comfort zone, it makes you feel like you are the king of the world.
6. Setting healthy goals is a very important method. When you set out to accomplish something new, and achieve it, it makes you feel very confident. Also, setting goals helps you to accomplish new tasks.
7. Having fun may be the most important factor when it comes to building self esteem. Sometimes, people are not confident with themselves, so they do not go out and have fun. Having fun and laughing makes you feel better, and relieves a lot of stress you may have.

So according to tip #7, drinks with friends is sometimes acceptable, after you hit the trail and get your workout in for the day!  🙂  Just remember to take the time to get out and reconnect with you so that you can be thankful for the blessings in your life.  The poorest attitude will be corrected within the first mile of a run.  I promise.  Things always look better when the blood gets flowing!  Use the eHow tips above for life, running/triathlon, dealing with boss & family.  Be confident, stay calm, cool and collected and know that you are AWESOME!

** Love Yourself ** Amanda – TooTallFritz ** amanda@tootallfritz.com