![Jody Watley [ca. 2006] singer/songwriter of Makeover Superstar, and also inspired this post.](http://www.josephrosenfeld.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/jody-watley-the-makeover.jpg)
Jody Watley [ca. 2006]
It is my honor and focus to help each client realize and fulfill their personal image goals. And while each client has her or his reasons and desires for making changes and improvements, a true measure of success can be assessed when I see that each one of them becomes a makeover superstar.
These photos are of Tony, a man who chronicled the changes to his body over a 3 month period. Top left was Tony at the start of his program. Top right photo was Tony mid way through. And the photo at bottom is Tony’s transformed torso to date.
My clients are always telling me that no matter how important fitness and nutrition are to their lives and to maintaining a healthy self-image, it’s not easy to keep up with. Maybe even you are on a journey to improve strength and body shape. Keeping fit and eating right are not spectator sports. You can’t watch someone else do it and have the results rub off on you. If you are concerned about enhancing your self-image by improving your fitness and nutrition, you have to do the work.
Feeling good enough should not come at the expense of others. Instead, set positive intentions to honor your own outer and inner beauty.
I’m a life long student of self-image. And if you’re a regular reader of my blog, you probably are, too. So, whenever I have an opportunity to learn something new, I take it. Last week, I attended a healthy living class for adult learners at Stanford University focusing on helping others to find ways of feeling good enough about their self-image under the leadership of a licensed clinical social worker and a sexual health instructor.
It was one of the most bizarre classes I’ve ever attended.
When is the last time you freaked out in the closet? Was it just today? Or is it an everyday occurrence?
I’ve been working with several clients who have been doing just that. One recently realized that she wanted to look fashionable, but that her clothes were not. Another client had a closet full of clothes but couldn’t figure out how to create outfits. One more client has been preparing for a trip and is feeling lots of pressure because she realizes that her existing stylish clothes won’t all work for the type of vacation she’s taking, and she’s got just two weeks to get it all pulled together. They have each freaked out in the closet.
I often wonder why so many people seem to end up giving up on their image, especially when they have so much potential to enhance it. Sometimes it takes the temerity to keep trying. Anyone who’s ever taken the bar exam knows that it’s not unusual to fail it the first time out of the gate. But that doesn’t stop most from retaking the exam.
Making the most of your personal image can be easy or difficult. It doesn’t have to be difficult, but the more you resist, the more difficult it is. If you have resisted updating your image, gave up on trying to coordinate clothing to make cohesive outfits, neglected to consider the messages and purposefulness of your clothing and outfits, or have let yourself go only to find that you have a negative self-image, then you’re making it more difficult to make the most of yourself.
Have you ever felt controlled or manipulated to be someone who you are not, simply by wearing clothes that someone else gave you or told you to wear? If you think this is something that doesn’t involve you, you might think about it a bit more deeply. One of my new clients has identified this issue as a chief reason for her low self-image. It could be something that you have also experienced. You may even be causing this hardship, unknowingly, on someone else that you love.
Do any of these ideas sound like something you would say?
Looking and being authentic is not easy for so many people. While at the Human Rights Campaign Gala in San Francisco over the weekend, this message hit me front-and-center.
You know, there’s so much the general population can learn from the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered] community about how to show up and be authentic. Moreover, I am very clear that the LGBT community can also learn a lot from itself in this regard.
Ka’ena Point, Oahu, Hawaii, is the westernmost point on Oahu.
Ever felt like your self-image has held you back from feeling – and looking – your best? From fully enjoying your life? From reaching all of your goals? It’s amazing just how many of us have been unable to jump off to a new horizon because we allowed a poor self-image to take control. I’ve just come through one of these experiences and want to share this personal story with you.