The journey of self love & ageless confidence

Are you afraid to get in front of the camera? For as long as I can remember, I was. It took a lot of talking to myself and giving myself reasons why I needed to convey my message in multiple ways including getting in front of the camera. Since creating a skincare line (AZ Naturally) I felt the urge to get in front of the camera to share my excitement about the benefits of natural and organic products that are so beneficial to the skin. Am I totally comfortable with it? No.. but, it’s easier than when I was sitting in that place of discomfort and not taking the risk.

What is the risk? I’m going to start by telling you about a woman I recently met. She told me she was very angry with her daughter who put a family photo on Facebook recently when they were all on vacation together. When I asked her why, she said, “I don’t want people who I knew 25 years ago to see what I look like now.” I knew what she was feeling because I was there myself not too long ago.

What is it that some women feel that holds them back from being authentic?.. being who they are in the now.. being okay with how they look.. feeling confident with the changes that have taken place.. knowing that the changes are the result of being alive. Is it possible our looks are how we define ourselves?

When we’re ashamed of ourselves, what is that saying? Have we been conditioned to think that we’re only okay when we’re young, thin, and fit into what society has been telling us about the “perfect” woman? What if we were conditioned to know that every line on our face and every gray hair were the signs of a “wise woman” who birthed children, nurtured them as well as others and who contributed to the world in so many valuable ways. Would we then feel love for ourselves? Would we then be ashamed of ourselves?

Getting back to the woman I met at a class we both attended, when I expressed to her how her beautiful smile lit up the room when I first met her and that she has such great energy, she said she was about to cry. We continued to talk (not tending to the project we were there to work on) and I expressed how her spirit comes through and she is radiant and beautiful no matter her age. When we continued to talk about shame and how that relates to loving ourselves, she did begin to cry. She said she realized she doesn’t truly love herself.. that she feels “old” and less than. She realized she needs to come to terms with her ‘inner’ self and maybe she will be able to get in front of the camera and have others see her as she is today.

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER.. A life lived with purpose, integrity and love is a life well-lived and should be celebrated.. even in front of a camera for others to witness.