We are Amy and Gail Shingler, sisters-in-law and friends!

We are passionate about living authentic and intentional lives!

We are enthusiastic about healthy eating!

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may you be edified by what you read here!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Stunned Silence

So I was at the gym this morning talking to one of the trainers.  We were talking about bodies and I mentioned how it was so sad that I get out of the shower each day and see the negatives.  Another fellow gym goer walked by and said negativity?  What do you mean?  I told him I meant that I see all the things I don't like about myself.  And at that moment he said the most profound thing I have heard in a long time.  He asked a simple question..."Is that how you see other people?"  Stunned silence.  It took me back.  I would like to say NO, I see the beauty in each person, but the truth is it is easier for me to point out a fault than a praise.  Although I have tried to look at the positives and not spread any negative mumbo jumbo, I still have my pitfalls.  This question hit me...hard.  If I try to see the positives in others why do I not strive to see it in myself?  On top of that, am I truly, in an authentic way searching in each person to examine the beauty instead of exploiting the uglies.  I didn't answer him because I was struck by my own negative paralysis.  So, today I pose the question to myself as well as my friends and loved ones.  What do we see in other people? What are we searching out, the treasures that lie within each other or the trash?  I am fearfully and wonderfully made and I must change how I perceive myself and shift my vantage point.  Negativity can be like a vortex.  It can suck you in.  Optimism nourishes our souls as well as our bodies.   

3 comments:

  1. thank you amy! you are loved and valued by me for WHO you are, not for who you know, what you know, what you do, and especially not for what you look like. i have a 3 x 5 card on my fridge that reads:
    "a mother who radiates self love vaccinates her children from low self esteem"
    at this point in my awareness i would add to that:
    "a human being who radiates self love encourages others to vaccinate themselves from low self esteem"
    you never know who is watching or why they are watching, but we do in fact watch each other. what do we want other's "take away" to be after "watching" the public service announcements, the advertisements, the commercials, the shorts, the feature length films that are our lives?

    "True self-esteem is not the same thing as improving your self-image. Self-image results from what other people think of you. The true self lies beyond images. It can be found at a level of existence that is independent of the good and bad opinions of others. It is fearless. It has infinite worth. When you shift your identity from your self-image to your true self, you will find happiness that no one can take away from you."

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  2. Love your post Amy and your transparency! I love you for who you are and you have given me so much to sepf reflect on. Thank you!

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