Uplift! Empower! Motivate!

I have told you on several occasions that I joined Younique after I read the mission statement:

Feel beautiful.  Look beautiful.  Be beautiful.  Inside and out!

Younique's mission is to uplift, empower, validate and ultimately help build the self-esteem of women around the world. Through high-quality products that encourage these core values - along with spiritual enlightenment - we're enabling opportunities for personal growth and financial reward to women everywhere.

As a plus size woman I have struggled with self esteem issues my entire life! I have heard the whispered and even loudly stated comments from men and woman about my size and internalized them and even agreed with them throughout the years.  When I hit my mid 30's I had a long talk with myself and in the end decided that I was NOT going to live like that any longer! I have mentioned before my morning ritual, well in my 30's that ritual changed a little.

Prior to that I would tell myself every morning that I was capable of speaking to people that I did not know, that I was capable of answering the phone and doing the job I was paid to do.  During most of this time I was a secretary in a planning department of a local government, and I hated every minute of every day that I worked with the public, however, I kept a smile on my face and did my job, because it was how I was raised! I had agreed to take the job and no matter how miserable I was I would do it to the best of my ability.

During this same time I would regularly go home and drink a bottle of wine with my dinner, yes the whole bottle!  I also found that I really liked rum, and vodka, and a great number of other alcoholic beverages.  I know it sounds like I was becoming an alcoholic, but truthfully I was not and am not, I have never had a problem with not drinking and in fact have had less than a dozen of drinks in the last couple of years, but, at that time in my life I was single, fat, and in my mind I was alone and pretty worthless.  I had a lot of people that I considered friends, some of them really were and others not so much. 

I made the decision in 2000 to move back to Alaska, and financially it was probably the worst mistake of my life for about 2 years; I was unemployed until March of 2001 and then landed my full time job, once again as a secretary in a planning department in my local government.  At that time I was about 32, and terrified! 

I have made some amazing friends since then and it was one of them that unknowingly helped me see that I am not fat, alone and worthless.  I have tried every diet ever made and nothing seems to work, I do not generally overeat, and in fact I eat healthier and less than my skinny friend.  Getting to know her through the years and seeing the way she eats vs. the way I eat made me realize that my weight was more that just bad eating habits; my friend is at the most a size 14, she looks great and lives on crap!  Seeing and comprehending that was truly life changing for me. 

I added to my morning ritual and now I tell myself on a daily basis "I am NOT worthless! I have a purpose and I will succeed in the purpose! I DO NOT CARE what anyone thinks about me and my size! I am comfortable being me no matter what size I may be! It is FUN to be me and others wish they were me! and I am capable of speaking to people that I did not know; and I am capable of answering the phone and doing the job I am paid to do."

Shortly after I made that change I was promoted and am no longer a secretary I am the Grants and Projects Coordinator and I work on a daily basis with roughly 220 million dollars in grants and contracts.  I love it! 

When I read Younique's Mission Statement I realized that this company was the one I had been looking for; their belief in Feel Beautiful. Look Beautiful. Be Beautiful. Inside and Out! speaks to me and makes me want to live up to those words! They make me want to help other women feel that way!  Thanks to Younique over the last year I have spoken to more strangers, and gotten to know some amazing women and men and as terrified as I am through it all I am determined that I will do it I will share Younique with everyone I meet!

My self esteem goes up a little more every day and I have Younique to thank for that!