Magic Mirror Part 2

Hello beautiful people!

I hope at least some of you have been doing the mirror challenge over this week!

I hope when you look in the mirror now, you realize that you have the power to change what you see in yourself. You have the ability to be your own cheerleader, to tell your reflection exactly how wonderful it is.

But there's even more magic behind your mirror.

For many of us, it is or was difficult for us to say things like "You're amazing!" or "Hello gorgeous!" to our reflections. Maybe there's a day where things are going wrong or you just feel blah or maybe your whole life, self-confidence has been a battle you've struggled with.

We all have other influences that can help us change what we see in the mirror.

I absolutely love this video. These people got to experience a magic mirror powered not by themselves, but by others:

Who in your life has made your mirror magic?

Who has encouraged and uplifted you?

Who has dried your tears until you could see yourself clearly?

Who has helped you see your reflection in a new light?

We all have people around us who have brought a little magic to our mirrors.

I am so grateful for the countless people who have done this in my life!

I'll share some of them here, but I will share more on instagram each day this week with the hashtag #mymagicmirror

I hope you will do the same: tell the world about the people who make your mirror magic!

These are just a few of the amazing people who have helped me see myself for who I am: an amazing daughter of God with unlimited potential. I owe so much of my self-confidence to the strength their words and actions have given me over the years.

 Find and recognize the people in your life who change the way you see your reflection.

Show appreciation this week to those who help make your magic mirror show you for who you truly are!

Magic Mirror

Magic Mirror on the wall, who's the fairest (or most capable, or most inspiring, or most talented) of them all?

Imagine asking this question of your reflection, and it responds with

"You are."

What would that be like? How would that boost your confidence and change your attitude about yourself? Who would you see yourself as?

This little girl has a magic mirror of her own, and she knows exactly how to work it:

I teach girls ages 3-5 at a local dance studio, and I decided right when I got the job that there was something I was going to have my girls do every class, no matter what. Right at the end, I have them each find a place where they can see themselves in the mirror and point to themselves. They then repeat after me, phrases such as "You did great today!" "You are an awesome dancer!" and "You look good!" It is my hope that these girls will learn to make any mirror one they can say such phrases to. I want them to tell themselves these things.

Now maybe you're thinking about what I said at the very beginning, and you're saying "Hey, but I'm not the most or the best of those things." I'll admit, there is definitely a line between a positive perspective and a realistic one. Lying to yourself doesn't help anyone.
But I want you to look at this picture.

Is the reflection exactly what is standing before the mirror? No. But you know something else?

They're both swans.

Looking in the mirror and seeing your best self isn't a lie. You are choosing to focus on what you can be instead of what you are. You are choosing to see the good parts that can get better instead of dwelling on the bad parts and making them worse.

The most beautiful swan in the world can look into a mirror and see nothing but that one feather that sticks up funny.

The most awkward cygnet in the world can look into a mirror and see the majestic bird it will become.

Choose to make any mirror a magic one.

I have a challenge for you, and I really really hope you take it.

Speak out loud to your reflection this week. 

As you're putting on your makeup or while you're doing your hair, or whatever, just look at yourself and say two positive encouraging things to your reflection, out loud.

Imagine how your world could be different if you had someone, a personal cheerleader of sorts, buoying you up every single day.

That person could be you.

If you do the challenge, I want to hear about it! Leave a comment or message me or share your experience on social media and use the hashtag #mymagicmirror.

So magic mirror on the wall, who's the one who can change it all?

psst: the answer is you ;)

Arrows Pointing Out

I remember when I was on my humanitarian trip in Belize a couple summers ago that one of my leaders said something I'd never heard before. She talked about how she strived to keep her arrows pointing out.

What did she mean by that?

She meant to think about giving instead of getting, to show love instead of wait for it, to focus on the needs of others instead of your own.

Keeping your arrows out means realizing that the world is bigger than you.

We all have things we're dealing with. We all have really hard things we're dealing with. And I'm not trying to belittle those or say that they don't matter.

But having tunnel vision for your own problems and needs won't help you feel better or find solutions.

When was the last time you gave up some study time to do the dishes for your roommate who had to rush out the door without doing them? When was the last time you spent some money on flowers for your mom instead of Chick-fil-A for you? When was the last time the bulk of your prayers was a plea for someone else instead of a wishlist for yourself?

I don't think you're a selfish person. But if we aren't careful, it's easy to become trapped in our own bubble.

Pop that bubble. Point your arrows out.

Believe it or not, helping others with their struggles will help you in yours, more than focusing on yourself would.

Service is the key to happiness, I think. It is nearly impossible not to love someone whom you serve regularly. 

Do you want a better relationship with your Dad?

Do you want to get along better with your roommate?

Aim your arrows in their direction.

It's amazing how giving of yourself fills you with more than you had in the first place. I've definitely found that the times when I've been most able to escape a cloudy time in my life have been when I aimed my inner sunlight at the shadows in other people's corners.

So push aside your own stresses for a moment. Look around you and see who could use a little light, a little lift. Reach out your hands. Flash your beautiful smile. Chase away someone's rainstorm.

And watch how you yourself become bathed in sunlight.

Keep on the Sunny Side

Have you ever been caught in the rain?

What did you do?

Maybe you were carrying a bunch of schoolbooks and your laptop and running late for class and so you moped and hustle-trudged through it, feet squelching in your distinctly un-waterproof shoes.

Or maybe you had just finished taking your last final, which you aced, and you leapt from puddle to puddle in bare feet, spinning under the sky and catching sweet raindrops in your laughing mouth.

But what if those aren't your only two options?

What if, in the first scenario, you instead chose to leap over puddles, catching raindrops in your hands as you hustled to class? What if you chose to notice how the raindrops on the windows looked like glitter when the sun hit them instead of noticing the sad squelch of your shoes?

Regardless of your circumstances, there is always a more positive, hopeful perspective you can have.

I love this artwork! First of all, it's adorable. Secondly, it is a powerful message about not letting our circumstances determine our attitude. Is there something in your life that seems to be weighing you down? Is there a way you can view that situation in a new light? Can you see the glittering windows instead of the squelchy shoes? Can you choose to keep on the sunny side of life? Regardless of how much of your path is obscured in shadow?

I especially love in the artwork above how one of the clouds notices the one flying away. Maybe he, too, can figure out how to use what he's been given in a positive way. Maybe your positive outlook can inspire someone else.

There is a silver lining in everything.

There is always something good to hold on to.

Even if, for now, that something good is very small, take heart. Have hope. 

Life never stays in one place for long.

Things will change. Things will get better.

Until then,

Keep on the Sunny Side.