In response to this video that everyone seems to be watching and sharing, I would like to take a moment and encourage you to try this experiment as well.

Now obviously no will will draw you, but just take a moment and write down what you might say to a stranger about how your face looks. 

What kind of words would you use? Would your description be on the positive side or the negative? 

Here is my take on it for myself:

Attempt #1:  I have a tall face but it looks fat when I look down. My eyes are big and round and sunken. I always look as though I have been crying because my eyes are sensitive to everything. My nose is big an sticks out and from the side it looks like a square block. The front of my nose is also very square and my nostrils make me look like a piglet because they are so visible. My lips are dry and pale. They are straight and usually tilted downward in a frown position. I always look sad and depressed. 

Then I did it again while looking straight at myself in the mirror and tried to see myself as someone else would...

Attempt#2: My face is rather square and my jaw line seems to be the dominant feature. My eyes are big and round, without much curve to them. They look to be brown in color, but as the light changes, so does the color. They  go from brown to hazel to deep green. I have my Dad's nose, which is squarish as well and very triangular. My lips seem to be small and flat but nicely shaped and when I smile you can see my visible cheek bones. When my hair is down, it is parted to the side and placed neatly behind my ear. I would say I have a big forehead but it is even with the rest of my features.


This was pretty difficult for me, as I don't spend a lot of time in front of the mirror, but I did learn something: I AM BEAUTIFUL. 

I am more beautiful than I give myself credit for and so are you. 

So take out a piece of paper or open you laptop and start writing what you think your face looks like, feature by feature. Then go to mirror and do it again, except this time, see yourself accurately. See yourself as your best friend or your Mom. 

Do you see how beautiful you are?

xoxo

Tayla

I'm always been a lover of good quotes, usually sappy ones full of inspiration and hope, but there has always been one that stood out more than the others. 

I remember the day it happened. I was in my room looking through quotes on the computer when I came across one and I stopped. 

Something about it struck me and really turned a switch in my brain. 

It was like I had a flash of light; a new vision of what my life was supposed to be. I looked at this quote for a long time, then printed it out, drew it up and posted it on my mirror, where it still sits today. 

The meaning behind this quote went way back for me as I have always questioned the purpose of my life. Why was I here? What was I trying to achieve with my life? What was life all about?

And even though there are millions of other quotes about life and the meaning of it, this one was the one that answered it for me. 

Everything finally made sense when I read this. I wasn't enjoying my life, it was as simple as that. I was struggling and I hated every second of it. I no longer wanted to live like that. 

And so, in that moment, I made a decision that has always stuck with me: "I was going to to start thriving instead of just surviving through this life."

I wanted to enjoy my life. Eat real food. Exercise to have fun. Not have to worry anymore. 

I wanted to love and let people love me. 

I wanted to laugh and cry and see the world for all of the beauty in it. 

Each day I reminded myself of this quote and what I wanted, and slowly I made progress towards my goal. Today I still look at this quote to remind myself of what life is really about. I have to remember why I am here, why I continue to fight and why I love this life. 

Life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured. Life is meant to be happy, not miserable. Food is meant to be a source of energy and life, not something to fear. My body is meant to be a life-producing, beautiful vehicle, not something to be cut, starved, taken advantage of, looked at, or hated upon. 

Ever since I have come upon this quote, my life has changed. Will yours?

xoxo

Tayla