Today, a 21-year-old student of mine walked into the classroom wearing a tiara. It’s not every day someone walks around wearing a tiara, especially on a college campus. So I asked her the obvious question: why was she wearing a tiara? She replied, “It’s my birthday. I started wearing it for my birthday as a young child and I want to keep the tradition alive.”
WOW! Congratulations to her! She is 21 and still wearing her tiara, still keeping her tradition alive.
The idea made me think. Why don’t we all wear tiaras on our birthdays? I posted that question on Facebook. One woman responded that she wore her tiara every time she got a manicure or pedicure. Why? Because she wanted to feel special, like a princess.
What do you think about this? What if we all wore beautiful tiaras every day? They could be any style you want; they could be whatever color you like. They would be an expression of you and a beautiful manifestation of self-love!
Every one of us could wear a tiara and it could serve as a constant reminder that we are all beautiful and special.
Unfortunately, seeing our tiaras every day would take away their power to make us feel special. In the end, we’d be left with just something sitting on our heads. Eventually, we’d need to find something else to remind us of how wonderful we are.
But why do we need tiaras? Why do we need self-help books? Why are there so many motivational speakers reminding us that we are all wonderful and unique just by being us? Why is that so easy for us to forget? And when we do, why is our first reaction to look outside of ourselves for the answer?
It happens to us all. In fact, I recently caught myself doing it just the other day. I looked in the mirror and thought: “OMG, I want to lose 10 pounds! I need to get to the gym.” Okay, there is nothing wrong we with me taking care of myself and wanting to lose weight to be healthier. What is wrong is that I wanted to lose weight so I could look the way I believe I/we are all conditioned to look: like one of the skinny girls on those skinny jean commercials.
Thankfully, I realized what I was doing and stopped repeating those old messages. I told myself that I am beautiful today, just the way I am; that today, I am happy to be here and to love my children and to do what I do.
My hope is that, one day, we can all stop and really remember that we are all wonderful and special in our own ways. Go ahead and wear that tiara on special days when you really want to shine, but please don’t feel as if the tiara is necessary.
Instead, whenever you need a reminder, look inside yourself. You can be your own cheerleader and best friend. Tell yourself that you love being you – just the way you are, today!
And if you’re having a particularly bad day and just can’t seem to see what’s so special about yourself, then that’s a sign you need to spend some quality time alone to get re-acquainted with your fabulous self. In my LIFE HAPPENS: BOUNCE BACK! book, I have several suggestions to help you get started having a love affair with yourself. . . get your hands on it right here.
If you were to select a tiara to wear for special occasions, what would it look like? What color(s) would it be? Alternatively, what other methods do you use to remind yourself that you are special? Please feel free to share in the comments!
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