The Things We Say To Ourselves

My mother knows that I love to hear about the experiences and philosophies of other locally-owned businesses.  And she likes to give me the "lay of the land" so that when I do visit her home in Athens, GA, I'll know if there are any new places that I'd like to eat or shop.  So she frequently shares articles on new businesses from the local newspaper, the Athens Banner-Herald.  She is old school with her sharing so I get an envelope full of clippings about once a week, including the local Police Blotter.  (Don't judge).

Recently, she sent me an article about a new store opening and the owner's approach and philosophy.  The title of the article was "Watkinsville Boutique Works To Raise Women's Self Esteem".  (You can read the whole article here if you desire).  One of the key themes is that the owner doesn't like for women to say negative things about themselves.  Each time they do, she gives them a warning.  And when they do it a third time, they she makes them sit on a couch in store until they say something positive. 

While I can't quite imagine putting my customers in "self esteem time out", it is amazing to me what I do hear women say about themselves.  Just over the weekend, I heard a woman criticizing her bony knees.  She said it with such vehemence that I had to look!  And what I saw was nothing unattractive at all! 

We all have things about ourselves that we would probably like to be different.  It's human nature.  But it really makes me sad to hear the things that women tell themselves.  My counselor said to me a few years ago "How would you feel if your little niece felt about herself the way you feel about yourself?"  What a wake-up call that was!  Of course I didn't want her to view herself that way!  And it was a lesson to me to stop viewing myself in negative terms.

If you've seen my bio on Alexandria Stylebook, you know that I believe that every woman is a beautiful work of art.  I love the opportunity to help women find clothing and accessories that enhance their look (and if there are things you are uncomfortable with, allows us to present those assets in the best light!)  I encourage you to love and embrace the body that God gave you.  And be kind and gentle with yourself.  Your inner voice can be very powerful (in both positive and negative ways).