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What do you see when you look in the mirror? If you are like most people, looking in the mirror doesn’t conjure up magnificent images of beauty like a Michaelangelo painting. On the contrary, here is the reflection that most people see staring back at them:

  • My butt is too big
  • My arms are too flabby
  • My hair is too flat, too curly, or too drab
  • My face has too many wrinkles
  • I have cellulite on the back of my thighs
  • My breasts are starting to sag
  • My muscles are non-existent
  • I am way too short
  • I am way too tall
  • I am too fat
  • I am too skinny

On and on the list goes, ad nauseum, replete with a list of our supposed imperfections. In fact, I don’t know anyone who looks in the mirror and is struck by a sense of wonder and beauty. It occurred to me a while back that this is truly tragic. After all, the human body is one of the most amazing and astounding creations on this planet.

Why is it that so few people view themselves with a sense of wonder, a sense of awe, and a sense of enchantment? Why in the world is this?

It is the result of the socially-induced delusion of “not quite good enough.”

It’s an insidious belief that can seep unannounced into your psyche with debilitating effects. It is the belief that you are just not quite beautiful enough, attractive enough, or good enough. It is the belief that if you changed somehow, then you would be better than you are right now.

Here is one thing you must know: Who you are is inherently and absolutely perfect, whole, beautiful, and complete. Simply know this, and you can live a life of unsurpassed beauty.

Consider these words by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, a well-known sage. “There is nothing wrong with you as the self. It is what it is to perfection. It is the mirror that is not clear and true and, therefore, gives you false images. You need not correct yourself – only set right your idea of yourself….”

This quote has the power to truly transform your body and your life. Simply set right your idea of yourself by attending to the mental beliefs you have about your body and yourself.

The first idea that must be set straight is that something is wrong with you and with your body.

Many people spend every day believing that something is wrong with their bodies – not thin enough, not toned enough, not young enough – you read all this above. This is the fundamental limiting belief that must go. No matter where you are at, no matter what your body has or hasn’t done – your body is your ally and your greatest support on this journey through life.

The next idea, and what Maharaj is speaking about in the quote above, is that who you truly are is beyond the body and the mind.

Who you truly are is magnificent beyond description, because it is beyond any experience. And ultimately it is when you know yourself as you truly are, beyond all thoughts, all sensations, and all experiences, that you will experience the bliss that is your birthright.

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Sarah Maria is a body-image expert who helps people love their bodies no matter how they look. She shows people how to discover the beauty that is already inside of them, right now, in this moment. Once they connect with this beauty, they will discover that anything is possible - that they can create a body and a life that they truly love. Her mission is to create a world where every person sees the beauty in themselves and in others. 

Her book Love Your Body, Love Your Life was released in November 2009.

Sarah Maria has trained with well-known teachers and physicians, including Deepak Chopra, Dr. David Simon, Wayne Dyer, and Jack Canfield, among others. Her work has been endorsed by Deepak Chopra, Dr. David Simon, and NY Times best-selling author Marci Shimoff, as well as many other notable physicians, psychologists, and educators.

Before writing her first book, she received a law degree from Stanford and a Master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University. Contact her at [email protected].

For more information, please visit breakfreebeauty.com

This Post Has One Comment

  1. Why is this message not more popular breaking the impossible marketing goals set to make people very frustrated and unhappy with themselves. This is the kind of marketing we need to make our kids accept and love themselves and not try to achieve the unreachable.

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