Lessons From Whitney: Learning to Love Yourself Is the Greatest Love Of All
- With a voice peerless in her generation and looks to match, Whitney Houston seemed to have it all.
A young Whitney Houston sung the lyric, “Learning to love yourself, it is the greatest love of all,” on her debut album back in 1985, released a few months after my dad passed away. Could she have known that loving herself would be the challenge of her life?
That song – and the entire album – helped me through a very rough time in my young life. Even more importantly, the sound of that musical compilation – and that voice – inspired a generation.
We Are Disguised As Ourselves
- Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close) in a scene from Rodrigo Garcia’s “Albert Nobbs”.
“We are disguised as ourselves,” was perhaps the singularly most penetrating line in “Albert Nobbs,” a new movie filled with emotion and relevance. While the fictional film, which stars Glenn Close, may be about a woman trapped by her circumstances and who must pass as a man in order to survive in 19th century Ireland, there are some important lessons we can bring into our 21st century non-fiction lives.
Facing Your Personal Image Hang-ups
Just about everybody wants a confident personal image, but have one or more fears or barriers to actually developing one. It’s really important to consider these fears and barriers, and how holding onto them can really hold you back from making progress, not just on developing your personal image, but on achieving your long range goals.
Personal Image and the Vision of Camille Pissarro
What could your personal image and the vision of Camille Pissarro, the dean of Impressionism, have in common? My cheeky answer is that image is in the eye of the beholder. But there’s actually much more to it than that.
Make Your Personal Image Deliciously Irresistible
Making your personal image deliciously irresistible is similar to what goes into serving up a delicious plate of authentic Mexican food.
This past weekend while in Hawaii, I met Hector and Helena Sol, two well-known Silicon Valley restaurateurs who own and run Palo Alto Sol and Viva Sol in Mountain View, and who really love running these thriving hot spots. The more we talked, the more we both became clear about some pretty big things that I think you’d really appreciate reading.
Still a Woman – Honoring the style of courage during Breast Cancer Awareness Month
I’ve never met someone with such tenacity to live. Her strength of mind causes changes in the lives of those who she touches. She is a source of inspiration to her family, friends and colleagues. Certainly, she always had the gifts of sharing and personal strength. And she has always offered that of herself to everyone. But now it’s time to be there for her and to return that tenacity, that strength, that inspiration. To know a strong woman with advanced breast cancer is to know a woman who is still alive – and kicking.
The journeys of women with metastatic breast cancer are each unique. Fighting to live requires a strong enough body, a strong enough resolve, and excellent medical care. Some women are too frightened to fight the disease beyond accepting medical treatment. Others see their diagnosis as a death sentence and just give up. And then there are the strong ones who inspire everyone with their bravery and who don’t think they are special at all. They don’t recognize that their decisions to stand up to their cancers are conscious choices. It’s an arch example of the fight-or-flight mind-set.
For women who live with advanced disease, their battles are filled with ups and downs. Grateful to be alive, they are still wrought with self-image issues because of the ravages of cancer and its aggressive treatments. Over many years one can grow accustomed to losing one’s hair multiple times due to chemotherapy and radiation treatments. “I really didn’t like the way it grew back last time,” said a very special woman who anticipated the arrival of several new turbans selected by her son.
Always colorful in physicality and in her attitude, she relied on accessories to keep her in style. Sumptuous scarves and colorful canes coordinated with her heathery palette of tinted pastels. For a burst of extra energy she’d wear brighter jewel tones. And no matter how her body had changed – the loss of a breast, the repeated loss of her hair or even the limited use of her hands and feet due to neuropathy – nothing would shake the resolve of this classically trained pianist.
“I can still sing and enjoy music,” she says.
The greatest accessory, it turns out, isn’t any of the turbans or scarves; not even makeup. The greatest accessory for a woman with cancer is her attitude. It’s also her greatest weapon. She can wear her attitude on her sleeve, put a smile on her face, put some pep in her step or wear her favorite pin like a campaign button informing one and all that “Cancer Sucks.” No wig or prosthetic device can come close to recreating the spirit of a woman. “You’ve got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative,” just like the song suggests. So here’s to you, Mom: you captivate us with your courageousness. I’m so very proud of you. Happy Birthday.
>>>>>>>
It’s been five years since originally penning this piece, originally published in Metro – Silicon Valley’s Weekly Newspaper, to honor all women afflicted with cancer, especially breast cancer. Writing this hit the center of my heart because I wrote it when my mom was dying of the disease. I certainly hope and pray for a cure to all cancers. Sadly, not all who are diagnosed with cancer will find a cure, like my mom. But all are entitled to fight to the end with dignity. And that’s why I wrote this in honor of my mom’s final birthday, five years ago on October 24th. It was the greatest gift to be able to sit at her bedside and read this to her. I hope you will please consider sharing this tribute and treating those who you know to have cancer with even greater compassion.
Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.
When Your Image and Style Are Frozen It’s Time to Change
When was the last time you looked at the clothing in your closet and said, “these are some awesome clothes?!” It’s a terrible feeling to open your closet door day after day to a wardrobe to look at every morning that you feel disconnected from. Time and again, clients tell me just how often they feel frozen when looking at their clothes to dress in the morning, to go out at night, as well as for special occasions. This arresting feeling is not a promising way to begin any day of work, of leisure, or an exciting night out.
The Context of Image and Style
What happens when one of the world’s most handsome, famous, and well-respected violinists dresses like a street person in a Washington, DC subway station? It’s a lesson in image, style, and context.
Lessons From A Florentine Synagogue: Be Proud to Be You
Crossing the ocean on a ten-hour flight back to Los Angeles, my mind is still transfixed by a wonderfully unexpected moment that happened in Florence. Though it happened days ago, I feel forever changed for the better, and I want to share this with you because there is likely an inspiration for all of us to take away from the experience.
Be A Mensch For Mitch Today
Today I’m writing about Mitch, a man I know who has really touched my heart. And while you may not know him, I hope that this post about him will touch your heart and call your mind and body into action. You see, Mitch has long been living with MS, a disease that stops us from calling our bodies into action.
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