I look fat.

Here's me - sans makeup and at the beach - trying to make myself look thin!

It's summer - there will be posting, sending, snapping galore of pictures of all the vacations and all the fun activities you'll be doing (hopefully).  If you're anything like me and my family - you will scrutinize every photo and you will say, no, you can't post that! I look fat.  I look weird.  I don't like my tummy, thighs, ankles, eyebrows or whatever body part in that photo!  Take another one.  And you will take 40 other photos until it makes you look like that super model you know you are on the inside.

Also, let's be real, especially women.  WE scrutinize each other mercilessly - in photos and in real life.  I'm wondering when this will ever end.  I do it too.  I'm not going to sit here typing acting as if I'm always looking for the good in people and I'm always trying to say something positive about my fellow man.  However, I'm going to start.  We judge others harshly because the truth is we judge ourselves harshly.

So I'm going to stop.  I'm going to stop judging myself and start...loving myself.  When I see a photo of myself I'm going to look for the good in the picture and even if I don't like the picture, I'm not going to make myself feel bad.  I'm going to learn how to be kind to myself and stop judging myself. If it's a photo, especially of me and a loved one whom someday I will wish I had a photo to remind me of them or the memories we shared, I'm going to keep it.  

My husband will be so happy to hear this because I'm pretty sure he's tired of hearing me say, NO, hate it or crinkle my nose.  I'm going to start saying - oh I like the lighting or oh I like the way my hair, eyebrows, shirt, whatever...looks.  I'm going to start shifting the focus to the positive.  I'm going to stop being critical and start being kind...to myself and to others.  

What about you?  Do you do this?  Is this something that you'd like to change?  Be encouraged.  We are here to love each other and lift one another up! We aren't here to tear each other down in hopes of making ourselves feel better because in the end that really doesn't work anyway!  Let's spread love together!

Happy Summer!