The Beauty Of Trying New Things And How Liberating It Can Be

I have a confession: I'm a scaredy cat when it comes to trying new things or on a more positive light, I'm too cautious. I can try new food (if it's not spicy) and activities in which the risk might be getting highly bored or disappointed, but trying activities that involve some risk, or athletics of some sort? Not cut for that.

Why? Well, I guess that being a person that can learn from other people's mistakes can be a blessing but it does kick you in the butt from time to time. When it comes to these experiences, I automatically imagine all the gone-wrong scenarios from deadly situations to how embarrassed I can come out of it. I'm the kind of person that feels uneasy on the deep end of the pool. Not because I can't swim but because I have that eerie feeling that something is going to come out from the depths of the water and suck me in, like a Jaws movie (I watched that movie when I was too little. It's clear it left a mental wound. Also the Thriller music video. I still get the chills even though I know it's poor makeup compared to today's standards). 

So how is it to live this way? Well, quite horrible I have to admit! I know I'm missing out a lot of things even as I have found myself watching friends enjoy it but the fear has always taken the best of me and I hate it. Did not appreciate that my comfort zone was so little it was imprisoning me.

Just as the late Jim Rohn used to say: 

"If you want things to change, you have to change"

I knew I had to do something about it and so I finally did. And it was a week of firsts.

My husband and I went to Puerto Vallarta for a friend's wedding and we stayed for a week. I have to admit that having my trusty non judgemental hubby by my side was a big aid because I never felt pressured, forced or to the opposite, overly cared for. 

So here's my list of firsts:

Going on a week trip without my son. This was a huge thing for me. Imagine all the worse scenarios that can come out of this! But boy! We needed that time for ourselves.

- Boogie Boarding. I had so much fun with it that I went for hours on at the beach until everything hurt. Yes, my swim bottoms left me looking like the Coopertone girl a bunch of times but I did not care; just laughed it off and pulled them back up.

- Zip Line. I did it! I second, third, fourth, fifth guessed so much before lifting my legs that the instructor started encouraging me to quit instead. I took so long that my husband had already reached the last lap. But I kept telling myself "I have to do this, for me". It was so worth it! I looked at fear in the face and I won, ha!

Dolphin encounter. It was a 

childhood dream come true. Always dreamed of it but was a little afraid I would freak out once I got in front of the dolphins. Did not happen. I was so ecstatic about it that I enjoyed every ounce of it and even let a sea lion kiss me as well. How cool is that!

Underground beach (aka Marieta Islands). Those 2 words would have scared me away at first. They did. But I really wanted to see it (it's on the list of places to visit before you die). So I blindly paid for it and went. What did I face on this adventure? Swimming 200m in a jelly fish infested water in open sea to reach the underground beach and doing it twice (yes, I got stung in multiple parts of my arms; luckily I was wearing a wet suit which protected the rest).

Snorkeling. We did it at the Marieta Islands. I've never snorkelled for fear of seeing something I did not want to be close to (like a shark!) but it was very enjoyable. I still hesitated multiple time to look in the water but hubby made it into an "I spy" game.

Kayak. Still in the open sea on the area of Marieta Islands. I've always wanted to try it but I don't know why I hesitated so much about it. It was as wonderful as I pictured it!

I concluded three things:

1. I did not die, hooray!

2. If I embarrassed myself or a hiccup showed on the way, laughed at myself and I counted it as a blessing because I have now a story to tell. it created an anecdote I will go back to for the rest of my life and it will sure bring me joy to remember it.

3. When I did embarrassed myself, I was the first one laughing. Laughing at my own misadventures actually made me love myself more and appreciate all the wonderful opportunities God pours over me to enjoy His creation. 

Once I started, I couldn't stop. Every time I left my comfort zone it was as if I was having another step towards freedom. It was very liberating! Not only did I enjoy myself, I learned more about me and all the things I'm capable of that didn't believe I was built to do. I felt accomplished; when you feel this way it's satisfying and empowering. Giving myself the chance of trying new things showed me higher levels of courage and strength I didn't think I had; it fed my curiosity of "what else am I capable of"? 

Just as the hardest part of getting in the water is jumping in it (that first dip is always so cold!), the most difficult part of giving myself the opportunity of freeing myself from fear was taking the first step. It truly was. 

What made me do it after so many years? Finally believing in full understanding and consciousness that there was more to life and I was missing out big time. I had to be convinced that I had to make a change in my life and it would only start if I started it. Living your life at its fullest doesn't start on it's own. It need your nudge and only you can do it.

Words that kept me encouraged:

YOU ARE DOING IT FOR OWN GOOD

YOU DESERVE TO ENJOY LIFE AT ITS FULLEST

NOBODY CAN STILL FROM YOU WHAT YOU'VE DANCED, TRAVELLED AND EATEN (a colombian phrase)

THE FIRST STEP IS THE WORST ONE, DON'T WORRY

DON'T THINK IT TOO MUCH, JUMP!

YOU WILL BE HAPPY YOU DID IT 

IT'S BETTER TO DO SOMETHING AND REGRET IT, THAN TO REGRET NEVER DOING IT

Are you ready to try a new first?

What is your most recent "first'? 

How did it make you feel? 

Why did you do it? 

Would love to hear all about it!

What Do You See In Front Of The Mirror?

Image via Anastasia Amour

As women we have a love/hate relationship with the mirror. You know what I mean: We'll check ourselves in every reflection we find wherever we are. As soon as we wake up in the morning and we go to the bathroom, we check ourselves in the mirror.

But what do you find there looking back at you? What crosses your mind?

- "ugh! Look at those wrinkles...!"
- "What an ugly belly"
- "My boobs are too droopy"
- "my boobs are too tiny"
- "I'm so fat"
- "I wish I had more curves"
- "eeek! Cellulite!"
- "I have horrible bags under my eyes"
- "I'm not pretty enough"
- "If only my hair has curly"
- "If only my hair was straight"
... The list goes on and on...

We are never happy with what we see so we bully ourselves. You might not see it that way but that's what it is. Self bullying. If you don't like the idea of someone verbally attacking you, then why allow yourself to do it? If we don't respect and value ourselves, how can we expect others to do it?

Image via @NaziraSacasa

The main reason of why I created the Reveal Your True Beauty experience is to give you a kickstart towards self confidence, self worth and ultimately self love by turning these concepts into a custom visual reminder to cherish for many years. Sometimes we need to see it to believe it; I know that's what I needed when I believed I was ugly for so long (READ: The Ugly Betty Story And Why I Want To Show Your True Beauty To The World).

Self confidence begins with self respect. I believe it is all a state of mind and that you can easily train your mind to be in the right state. There's only 2 things you need to do to achieve it:

1. Detect every time you are about to bully yourself and stop it.
2. Be consistent about stopping yourself and change your focus.

The more consistent you are, the easier it will be and soon you'll find yourself complimenting the reflection in the mirror instead of attacking it. It all goes back to finding joy.

For example:

- Rather than complaining about our wrinkles what about we see them as what they really are: marks of every single time you have smiled and laughed. "Thank you wrinkles for reminding me of the good moments in my life; I've had a happy life".

- Rather than complaining about droopy breasts, what about we see them for what they really are: Testament of intimate days and nights snuggling your little baby as you fed him/her. "Thank you droopy boobs for reminding me that I was able to feed and nourish my children once. Thank you because you are testament of the love I have for them, that I was willing to sacrifice my own body for their sake. I know what love really is about".

I could keep on going. Is this simple: focus on the garden, no the weeds. Look at the whole of the white tablecloth, don't focus on the little black stain. What's going to be your mind set? It's your choice.

You are not your body, you are your soul. That's what defines you and that's what makes you beautiful.

Wouldn't be nice to have to deal with less worries? We already carry many, why not reduce the list by erasing the little ones and focus on what's really important in our lives? (by little ones I mean the way our body looks).

The choice is yours. You might think it's hard but sweetie, the hardest part is the first step, just as the hardest part of going in the pool is the first dip.

How can you begin? Go to the mirror and give yourself a good look. Write it all down, the good, the bad and the ugly. I'm sure you will at first find more bad things than good; we all are like that and it's ok. Now, for every bad and ugly thing you find, you are going to write in front of it the positive version of it, the good of having the bad. For example: "I love how I can just brush my sleek hair easily and I'm ready to go; don't even have to style it, woohoo!" or "love my temperamental curls, the surprise me every day. Today we'll do..."

Yes, I know what you might say: "but there's nothing good about it!". Yes there is. Think hard. If it's too hard, ask a friend or someone that loves you for who you are.

And now get into action!

You are going to keep your relationship with the mirror but with new rules: every time you catch your reflection or wake up and look at yourself in the mirror, as soon as you find that you are about to bully yourself, say instead the positive version of it; change your state of mind.

There will always be other women with better or worse bodies than yours, so why compare? As long as you know you are taking care of your physical, emotional and mental health because you care about yourself, then you'll be ok. Only compete with yourself; that's were you'll find true happiness.

Image via PrettyInside