When Henry junior was 5 years old and in reception at school he came home one day, was playing with Matilda, she became frustrated and he said "If you believe it, you can achieve it.".
My heart melted, the corners of my mouth curled up and I grinned the biggest Cheshire cat grin you can imagine. He said one of his teachers had told him such as he was learning to read and I just felt it was amazing. Because ... it's so true ...
I've always held the very same belief in a number of different guises. The actual words don't matter but the 'philosophy' holds me strong.
A positive attitude can do more for your appearance and approach to life than anything else. Just think of some of the most positive people you know. It's as if they're painted in brilliant Technicolor. They adore this, love doing that, can't stand it when such and such happens. In other words, they're full of life and appreciate every aspect of it, the downs as well as ups.
Positive people are wonderful to be around.
They radiate an magnetic, attractive energy. Like moths around a flame, we're drawn to that energy and want to be part of it.
More importantly, a positive approach to life raises your energy levels, and if you're feeling bright and bubbly, you look and feel younger.
A negative approach to life is bad for your health. It's official! Hundreds of studies show that compared to pessimists, optimists are higher achievers and healthier individuals. Happy people have higher levels of antibodies and can fight off infection more easily. What's more, optimists live an estimated seven and a half years longer than pessimists.
So it the wise words of the great Bing Crosby ... Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the positive ... eliminate the negative!
- Remember the times you were feeling happy and confident.
- Fake a smile. Studies found that people who pretend to frown began to feel angry, while the fake smilers started to feel happy.
- Use your body to show confidence - head up, shoulders back.
- Enjoy 7pm - according to a survey by Cadbury, it's the happiest time of the day for most people because we're at home with our family and have the rest of the evening ahead of us.
- Try not to use words like 'can't', 'shan't', 'wouldn't' or 'shouldn't'. Negative words can read havoc on positive thinking.
- Focus on positive things that have happened to you, not the negative.
- Have photos around that remind you of some of your happiest moments.
A big, friendly smile is 90 percent of what people see they meet you - not how old you are, not what you're wearing, not what kind of hairstyle you have. So dazzle them with a big grin!
Smiling and laughing exercise facial muscles and keep them toned. But even the sunniest personalities can wake up feeling a bit down. If that happens to you, don't be tempted to indulge the mood. Put on a gorgeous outfit so you can face the world looking and feeling fabulous. Whoever you bump into, whatever the day throws at you, if you look well turned out and styled, you can deal with it because you know you'll look good to everyone else.
This is all about being kind to yourself. Hold onto those feel-good emotions and use them to switch off the negative ones.
That's not surprising when we're bombarded with media images of young, slim, beautiful people. No wonder women worry that they're too old, to fat, too thin, too imperfect.
But you are so much more than your size, shape and weight. Don't worry about what others think of you. If you feel good about yourself, that positive, youthful glow will shine through. Beauty is all about confidence, not whether you're a size wight or not. It's true what they say, beauty does come from within.
So STOP being hard on yourself.
Take control of how you look and you'll feel more confident. Focus on yourself and how unique you truly are.
Love your best bits, listen to your body, treat it with respect.
And while we all age and I shall do so gracefully can there possibly be anything wrong with using serums, creams, makeup, clothes, exercise, food and more to help me look and feel better about myself.
After all, life is short so and why not do your best to feel you best?
Tracey x
PS: Remember ... you're still amazing! x