I was first introduced to Facebook many years ago by a young colleague who I shared an office space with.  She told me about it and I decided to take a peak and create a profile.  I mostly thought it might be fun to see if I could find some old school friends and I loved you could see photos of their lives and what they were up to.  I used it only intermittently until about five years ago when the landscape of Facebook really began to change significantly.  Suddenly it was not just for connecting with friends but a bona fide marketing, business and branding tool that you could use to incredible benefit for nothing more than your time and the cost of an internet connection.

Fan pages for businesses, charities, celebrities and brands popped up everywhere with links being posted to drive people to buy, support, engage with and read blogging and website content.  People who ran businesses and blogs quickly realised with the millions of people on Facebook actively engaged online and often on there for extended periods of time…this was a chance to get new readers, customers or clients.  This was, in essence, a chance to … Read the rest

Let’s get straight down to it…and spread the positive word that Valentines Day should be just as much about self love as it is romantic love…

1. Dress the way you want.  Don’t be too concerned with what’s currently doing the fashion rounds or what anyone says should and shouldn’t go together or is ‘right’ for your body.  If you love the way you look and feel in something then you’re dressing with love.

2. Give yourself a break.  If you are harder on yourself than anyone you know it’s totally time to give that up.  It’s not serving you or making you a better person.  Let’s move on shall we?

3. Treat yourself.  No money spent on you for something that brings a smile to your face and joy to your heart is ever wasted.  Go get it girl!

4. Get yourself a wee bit more organised; or even totally organised.  Might sound super boring but if you can manage to get yourself out from under that pile of paperwork/dishes/general gunk and stuff, you will have so much more creative and loving flow in your life.

5. Take stock.  Of your surroundings, relationships, commitments and influences as a whole.  … Read the rest

I’m delighted today to present this guest post by Sue Muller, the inspirational owner (or ‘Chief Chick!) of the wonderful new business and blog Smile Chickie.   The mantra of Smile Chickie is to smile more, love more, laugh more and worry less.  Sounds like a great idea to me!  I absolutely love Sue’s take on Valentines Day which in case you haven’t been bombarded with all things hearts, chocolates and romance is…next week!  Read on and get to know Sue’s quirky sense of humour better and for a gorgeous giveaway too. 

Is that February 14th I see looming on the horizon, all sparkly and shiny???

Beckoning, full of hope and joy for all of the beautiful, perfect, ‘loved up’ couples out there?

Yes, yes I do believe that it is…

Now, don’t get me wrong I love, love, love, LOVE!

Not for one second do I begrudge the happiness of those lucky people out there who are blissfully knee deep in it and living their own happily-ever-afters.  I believe that, on Valentines day, they all fully deserve to have their names written in the sky and truckloads of flowers to be delivered to their door.  To be spoilt and pampered.  My heart smiles … Read the rest

A few days ago I received an email via my contact form from someone I didn’t know and who chose not to sign their name.  It contained just five simple words but conveyed to me a beautiful message of gratitude to me personally and to the beautiful you community.  I was, and still am, deeply touched by it.

Receiving the email made me think about the power of words and how sometimes we can reach for a big sppech or lots of fancy descriptive ways of trying to say something, when in fact we just need to get right. down. to. it.  To the heart of it.

Is there room or need in your life right now to say…

I’m Sorry

Yes

I Can

I Deserve Better

Why Not?

Of Course

I Will

No

You Are Incredible

All Power To You

I Need That

You Are Beautiful

I Am Beautiful

I Want More

I Love You

Leave nothing unsaid in your life beautiful you.  Nothing.

All it takes sometimes is just a few words.

Word.

When you run a business or even a blog that you would love more readers for, your mindset to that undertaking plays a huge part in its success.  When I say huge…I mean it.  Huge.

You can have a chic brand or header, beautiful imagery, incredible products and a kick ass business plan but if you don’t believe in what you are doing and back that up with your actions – you will fold.

Harsh?  No.  Just a truth delivery designed to get you not only thinking about, but knowing, that your mindset and attitude is the cornerstone and foundation to your success.

And the links between your positive, negative, fearful, flying or anything in between mindset translate directly into what you do or don’t do in your business.  When you fully back your business or blog you back yourself.  You carry it with you everywhere because you know that your next client, customer or reader could be just around the corner, just waiting for you and what you can do for them.

Women in business who truly believe in what they do have an outstandingly positive mindset and belief which can be seen in actions like the following…

They … Read the rest

This post is inspired by the latest promotional ads for the 2012 Biggest Loser which are trying to sell you, me and the world the concept that for any person to be deserving of love – ‘ready for love’ – they must lose weight and be thin.  They’re wrong.  You can love yourself and be loved at any size.  Any.

 Image: The Examiner

Listen Up Beautiful You 

I’ve got something to say.

It’s important and I need you to read it, hear it and let it morph into your soul.  Really, really, morph.

You are beautiful and divine just as you are.

You do not need to take up less space in this world.  Your fat, curvaceous, tall, big, broad, voluptuous, curvy, adipose, magnificent self can take up all the space you deem you so require.

What shape or size you are has nothing to do with how lovable you are.

To be ready for any form of love you want or need you do not need to diet or whittle yourself away.

The love you are and the love you are attracting or not attracting in your life is not related to your shape or size.  It’s all what’s … Read the rest

I’m delighted to present a book review and interview with Amanda Foxon-Hill today about her inspirational book ‘Amongst Sisters.’   This beautiful book is a true treasure and has been the perfect summer holiday reading for me throughout the festive season.  ’Amongst Sisters’ is a celebration of the female form and women’s lives.  Themes of beauty, confidence, love and acceptance abound in it’s colourful pages with gorgeous photographs by Lucia De Giovanni.  Amanda kindly agreed to tell us a little more…

What inspired you to write ‘Amongst Sisters?‘  After working in the beauty industry (as a   chemist) for the past 13 years, I have been increasingly worried about our desire to deny and wipe out anything that is unique and interesting about us, such as the odd wrinkle, scar, birthmark, the shape of eyes or nose and our skin texture.  I’m also concerned that as free women with many choices and opportunities we now seem to be focusing almost totally on our looks and specifically young doll-like looks.  I don’t believe that this is healthy for our self-esteem or personal growth and see it as a consequence of our fix-it, need-it-now, ‘teenager-like’ society that prefers to scoot across the … Read the rest

Your real beauty – Your true work – Your beautiful life

This is the new mantra of beautiful you. 

I was reflecting for a number of months last year about the core meaning of my work and what I wanted it to mean not just for me but for you.  When you are a multi-passionate person like I am you will know what I mean when I say sometimes it can be hard to encapsulate everything you want to say – everything you want to mean – everything that is important to you – and everything about everything you do.  That’s a lot of everythings! 

But real beauty, true work and a beautiful life is where the heart is in what I do.  More?  Ok!

Real Beauty

My passion for promoting positive body image is as strong as it was when I first began working in this field (ahem….) many years ago.  I still fervently believe that beautiful and healthy people come in all different shapes and sizes and that it is possible to feel amazing about your body, your appearance and yourself no matter what the colour of your skin, the shape of your tummy or the number on the tag inside your jeans.  … Read the rest

Happy Holidays Beautiful You! 

I send you much love, peace and good wishes for a festive season as wonderful as you.  May it be filled with all the things you are hoping and wishing for.

Thank you for your presence here with me.  I treasure you.

Image: Patricia Awapara

A special thank goes out to Melanie Hawskley today for emailing and asking me if she could share her journey of body acceptance with Beautiful You readers.  I of course said yes when I learned more about Melanie’s life experiences and her desire to share her story with others in the hope they may learn something from it; especially if considering cosmetic surgery.  It’s a true and raw tale of learning and self love and I thank Melanie for sharing it with us.

My name is Melanie.  I’m a personal trainer, C.H.E.K (Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiology Institute) Holistic Lifestyle Coach, massage therapist and mother to two lovely kids.  In 2005 I got silicone gel breast implants to improve my very saggy post feeding breasts.  I was 34 years old, 3 years out of my marriage and in a relationship with a guy that definitely didn’t think much of me as a woman.

As a young woman I was always very self conscious about having almost no breasts, often making bras and bikini tops so I could pad them out.  All my friends wore bras and I wanted to be the same.  This desire was something I thought about lots as I … Read the rest