At my most beautiful

I was driving home from the gym last night listening to R.E.M. when their song “At My Most Beautiful” came on.  I love this song, and it always makes me feel a certain way I can’t quite describe.

Then I started thinking about the title in a literal way.  When do I feel most beautiful? The answer was really clear to me, which I’ll share momentarily.  I believe that every woman deserves and needs to feel this way.  But it’s not all in looks.

In support of my mission of empowering women to live more confidently, healthfully, and gracefully, I see part of my role as a coach as helping them uncover their inner beauty and appreciate their outer beauty.  I talk to women who are beautiful both inside and out who are completely blind to it.  All they can do is hone in on their “imperfections” and “shortcomings”. They focus on those things day in and day out for YEARS.  Their ability to feel and believe in their own beauty ceases.

I’ve met more women that I can count who fall into that trap.  They forget about the fact that they are amazing wives, mothers, friends, sisters, and daughters. They forget what it truly is that makes a woman beautiful, and they most certainly can’t see the outer beauty the world sees.

It’s the times in my life that I’ve lost the connection to myself that I lose my sense of feminine beauty.  The times where I’ve stopped training the way I love to, where relationships have been tough, or when I’ve given 100% of my time and energy to work and left nothing for myself.

It’s when I’m out in the woods connecting to myself that I feel most beautiful, which has nothing to do with beauty on a superficial level. It’s time when I reflect, when I acknowledge who I am, when I become better.  These moments mean everything to me.

The only thing that can match how I feel in those moments is pushing a lot of weight over my head or having my chin above the bar.  It shows me how strong I still am despite injury, that I’m challenging my body to reach it’s current potential, and that I’m caring for myself in a way that is so necessary.

These situations require no makeup, no dress-up, and for me to be nothing more than me. That’s when I feel most beautiful.

There is something in all of our lives that makes us feel beautiful.  We need to do more of that.  I’d love for you to email me and tell me two things – when you feel your most beautiful and how you can make sure you do more of that thing. 🙂

I can’t wait to hear from you.