Just imagine that we live in a world where all women’s self worth was dependent on who she is, rather than her body?

I am holding that world in the palm of my hand and am 100% committed to get make this vision a reality.

I hope you will continue to join me on this ride to discover who you are….and be part of this Body Image Revolution.

It will be worth it.

I can remember, with almost perfect clarity, what if felt like to release weight week after week after week when I was 24 years old. I had been obese through my entire childhood and as a teenager. I don’t have to tell you the pain that went along with being “the fat kid” – a lot of you either shared that pain, or share a different one, as we watch our own kids become part of the obesity epidemic and grow heavier and heavier. I often wondered why I had success at weight loss and so many others did not.

Ten pounds – twenty pounds – a hundred pounds – chances are that MOST of you who read this have struggled with weight loss, and the low body image and self esteem issues that go with it, for years of your life.

Since my early twenties that I haven’t worked to keep that weight off.  My commitment to keeping my weight off is about self love and self care, not just about liking being thin. And to inspire others to discover their own bodies in a new way. That work became so important to me that I have become a well known speaker and mentor in the transformational movement, and built two very successful companies to empower others. I am also privileged to have inspired hundreds of people to create permanent change in their lives with a NEW philosophy.

I share all of this because I know ONE thing above all others: I know that hating our bodies can never heal them.

However, something still needs to shift. For every one person who loses ten pounds, ten more are gaining it (or gaining it back). As Americans, we have literally shifted the scales of our lives toward obesity, diabetes, heart disease, poor self-esteem, low body image, and on and on and on. We need to shift those scales back. And so, I am making a shift in my own life to be part of that effort – that movement of the scales.

Our bodies are amazing. Have you ever been given any other gift that runs 24/7, works tirelessly without being taught, and will always provide a home for you? Your body will never turn you away – even after you’ve beaten it up, called it horrible names, degraded it, and even hated it. It will just stay there, supporting you endlessly. What lover would do that?

Yet women seem to find their bodies so unlovable. Skinny, fat, hairy, short—we call ourselves such unkind names. Every waking hour of our lives, we criticize and express frustration, displeasure and even hate. Why? Because our bodies are truly that hideous? Or is it just that it’s so much easier to condemn the problems that we face each day than to take loving responsibility to create change? Loving our bodies – ourselves – doesn’t have to be so hard.

Loving your body can be as simple as loving a single finger on your hand. When I began my personal weight loss journey, I could find nothing about myself to love. A friend suggested that I start with just one pinky. “You have to start somewhere,” she said. Twenty-two years later, that loving place to start has stayed with me, and I have discovered the joys of loving my entire body.

In response to the enormous lack of love and personal sustainability in our world and our bodies, I am starting a new journey. A Body Image Revolution. And I invite all of you who read this to join me, and to invite your own friends, colleagues and relatives to join also.

If you don’t think you could love your body, I ask you one question:

Could you start today by loving just One Pinky?

We all have to start somewhere so start with your sweet little Pinky finger.

Sending you buckets of love and more love,XO

Laura

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While I do not teach in terms of winners and losers, because I do not view people as losers, I know firsthand that those who succeed in my 12 week program or any program are those who STAY through the ups and downs.

And those who have humility, ask for help, show vulnerability, lean into their daily practices and view change as a process rather than a means to an end. As I share with my students, a process, not a pill.

Jack Canfield, a great teacher and mentor of mine teaches many success principles and I felt compelled to share these 9 with you this week on success which can be applied to anything you are working on right now.

1. Nearly all extraordinary people have the ability to bond with others (i.e. being involved and part of this community of powerful Pinky women).  Without lasting bonds with people, any success or excellence is hollow.

2. Highly effective people have moral fiber. Others trust them. They have a sense of what is good – for others and themselves.

3. Winners surround themselves with good people and learn from them. Just look at the example left by a number of famous people. Many, from George Harrison to Hillary Clinton, crawled up the ladder of success on the back of someone else.

4. Successful people work on themselves and never quit! While the “over-night wonders” become arrogant and quickly disappear, really successful people work on their personality, their leadership skills, management skills, and every other detail of life. When a relationship or business deal goes sour, they assume they can learn from it and they expect to do better next time. Successful people don’t tolerate flaws; they fix them!

5. Successful people are extraordinarily creative. They go around asking, “Why not?” They see new combinations, new possibilities, new opportunities and challenges where others see problems or limitations. They wake up in the middle of the night yelling, “I’ve got it!” They ask for advice, try things out, consult experts and amateurs, always looking for a better, faster, cheaper solution. Successful people create stuff!

6. Successful people are masters of communication. What they all have in common is an ability to communicate a vision that energizes other people and themselves. Communication requires listening. Those who listen to the people around them can understand them better. Shared understandings are what makes communication effective.

7. Determination is a powerful habit. Winners never give up.

8. Winners are not tapped in the past. They move on. They look for new opportunities, new successes. At the same time, they realize that always living in the future can slow us down as much as always looking behind. The unsuccessful are often too focused on what is ahead and never seem content. The successful understand that what is going on now is just as important as what they are planning for the future.

9. Successful people take criticism well as they see the value. Criticism shows that people believe in your ability to do better.

One of my dear students here at www.OnePinky.com is blogging weekly at http://www.NoDietingAllowed.com and her blog this week is on her new found “awareness” and how it feels to be in the world, awake to what shows up. Check it out at www.NoDietingAllowed.com.

I can tell you first hand that Leah and so many of the women in this community are living these principles Jack speaks of organically. They are showing up for themselves first and then for one another and it is truly transformational. Collectively, we are taking small Pinky Steps to becoming healthier human being.

The planet needs us.

Love to you All,

Laura

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