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eNEWSLETTER
June 2005

Our Mission Statement:
"Providing a range of innovative professional services, empowering our clients to positively address issues affecting their lives."

Welcome to the June edition of the CCS eNewsletter.

We’re not good enough. You only need to flip open a magazine or switch on the TV to see it’s true. We need to be sexier, thinner, fitter, younger and then- and only then- will our lives get better. Ageing gracefully? Forget it! With this ageing population we keep hearing about, you’d think that wrinkles and wisdom would be the new black but alas no, we’re still expected to look at least 10 years younger. So much so that it’s quite common for people to regularly inject poison into their face or have bits of their body sliced open, sucked out, stapled and pumped up. It’s not enough for Mums to go through pregnancy and give birth anymore- now they’ve got to be yummy as well. Even the men haven’t escaped. In a somewhat dubious win for equality, the dawn of the metrosexual has seen cosmetic houses create new lines of beauty products and makeup just for the boys. Little girls that haven’t had a pimple yet let alone a wrinkle are being “pampered” at the beauty salon. One would think that these little girls would be the most beautiful and confident little girls around but read on.

Happiness- the elusive holy grail

94% of girls aged 18 and under wish they were more beautiful and 85% of women aged 40 and over think they’re not as beautiful as the average woman. With all these new scientific advances in cosmetics and surgery all the things the advertisers have been telling us we need in order to be happy are within our reach, but for some reason our society just keeps getting more miserable and the drug companies are making a fortune in anti-depressants. Why is that? Could it be that being beautiful isn’t the answer after all?

Healthy not Harmful

The image we project to the world tells other people something about us. If we’re healthy we’ll look healthy. If we value and respect ourselves we’ll spend some time on grooming. Being overweight is just as unhealthy as being underweight and although food should be enjoyed, it is available in such abundance and so much of it is over processed and full of additives that we do need to be careful about what we choose to put into our body. But when guilt and shame are behind our reasons for dieting, grooming and presenting a certain image then we need to stop and reconsider.

“…the culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. We’re teaching the wrong things. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it.” - Morrie Schwartz

It’s all a matter of priorities

We’ve mentioned in previous newsletters the importance of having self esteem and living life on our own terms. The reality is that most of us are never going to be supermodels or movie stars and let’s be honest is that really any great blow? Look closely at the lives of the beautiful people; behind most of those pretty faces lies dysfunction, sadness and anxiety. Instead of struggling to be someone we’re not and don’t really want to be, perhaps we should concentrate on being the best we can be. Spend less time looking in the mirror and look instead at your family, friends and community. Instead of trying to reduce your laughter lines, make the most of them by smiling at all the people you love- trust me they’ll think you’re beautiful lines and all.

So next time you’re tempted to listen to those ads which dare to suggest you’re not good enough just as you are, have another look in the mirror and appreciate all your unique beauty. Beauty can be found everywhere- we just need to recognise it when we see it and appreciate it for what it is.

Some interesting links

Office hours are from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. After hours and Saturday appointments are available on request.

Until next time then...
" Though we travel the world over to find beauty, we must carry it with us or we find it not " - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

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