Can You Imagine A Beautiful Life?
By Nancy Hill, Thu Dec 8th

Imagine waking up one morning to find that you are using yourunique talents in a fully satisfying way, that you feelwonderful in your body, and that your life feels rich andcomplete.

Now ask yourself, how much time and money have you spent tryingto live up to the cultural ideal of female beauty?

Every year Americans spend over $40 billion on dieting. Peopleput massive life energy into studying the latest diet, planningmenus, agonizing over food choices, depriving themselves, anddoing forms of exercise they don't even enjoy. There is so muchmore to life than the endless quest to make the body look likethe cultural beauty ideal.

It doesn't have to be that way. Before the craze began,people defined themselves much more by who they were and whatthey did in the world. They spent their life energies enrichingthe world around them instead of spending their time trying tolook beautiful. They focused on their family, their community,and their unique talents.

Today women are subtly taught to define themselves strictly byhow they look. And the look we're taught to desire isn't evenobtainable. Only 5% of women are underweight, yet 87% of theactresses we see on television are. And models? Not only aretheir photos heavily airbrushed to remove any "flaws", theygenerally stand 5'9" and

weigh 110 pounds. The average Americanwoman, at 5'4" and 140 pounds just isn't ever going to look likethat plasticized model no matter how hard she tries.

Some of the time and money we spend trying to look like thoseactresses and models could be much better spent living a greatlife. There is a sadness in the desperate quest for beauty. It'sunsettling to see celebrities starving themselves into emaciatedbodies. How much more graceful it is to accept the wonderfulbodies we were born with and put our life energies and moneyinto making a meaningful contribution to the world around us.

We each have much more to give than just trying to achieve acultural beauty standard. You are beautiful right now, exactlyas you are.

Take your life back from the media machine. You are more thanthe "look" you present to the world. Inside each one of us livehopes, dreams, talents, and the potential for a joyful, richlife. Life goes by fast. Make it a wonderful experience insteadof a quest for unattainable beauty and thinness.

About the author:©2005 Nancy Hill has helped thousands get free of the dietingnightmare with her ebook, "Undieting - 11 Simple Steps toReclaim Your Body and Your Life." Sign up now for the Free 7-DayUndieting Email Course and discover how to get your lifeback. Feel free to reprint this article, just use the wholearticle with this resource box attached.