Who do you see when you look into the mirror in the morning? Do you see someone you like, do you smile at this person and are you are happy being in his or her company? Or are you not aware of the person looking back at you? Are you, as usual, in a hurry to get to work, to get the children to school or the many other things that keeps you busy and that defines your life?
If we don’t acknowledge and accept the person we are, we will let others define ourselves. I saw a video of Lizzy Velasquez, speaking at TEDxAustin about ‘How do YOU define yourself’. She has a medical syndrome that doesn’t allow her to gain weight or create muscle, one of three people with this syndrome in the world. In an internet video she was defined as "The World’s Ugliest Woman". People responded: “Please do the world a favour, put a gun to your head and kill yourself.”
Like Lizzy, we don’t control the circumstances when, where and how we are born. It is a given. And also we don’t control how other people deal with things they can’t control, don’t understand or are afraid of. We can’t control how people respond and react. There is only one thing we have control over, and that is our own response, our own attitude, our own behaviour and the way we communicate.
When you realize you are the only person in the world who defines who you are and who chooses the path you are walking at the very present, that is the moment you can take ownership in your life, being able to live your life with full passion and turn your dreams into a destination. Have a look at the video how Lizzy defines her life.
Now, tomorrow morning when you meet yourself again in the mirror, take an extra minute and have a good look at yourself. Smile at yourself and tell yourself how nice it is to meet you again this morning. And feel inside what you give yourself and what you will be going to give other people you meet today. And accept every smile returned with gratitude.
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