January is a popular time of year for pausing to reflect on the year that’s just finished and set intentions for the year ahead. Additionally, it’s a great time to set your sites on your routines – is there a new daily habit you should add? This is the time to evaluate the days, weeks, and months that have passed, to think about what’s working and what’s not working so well; define goals and set action steps to attain them; decide on new daily habits you’d like to establish and a define a plan for incorporating these new behaviors into your life.
Today is a great day to have a great day…and this is a great year to have a great year! Welcome to 2016, friends!
It’s that time again! Time to set your intentions and make plans for a healthier new year. How has your reflection and planning gone? Did you take some time to think about the past year – about what’s been working and what’s not working so well? What’s been your key learning from the year we just closed? I’ve got some great things planned for this year, I hope you’ll join us each and every week as we bring inspiration and tools for a healthier, beautiful you.
Friends, 2016 is a year for change! A new year is always a great time to work on healthy new habits; here at JeffreyPaulBlog.com we’ve been working on some exciting new content that you’re sure to love. I am so excited to share with you what we have been working on behind the scenes for the new and improved Jeffrey Paul Blog with the goal of creating a new and improved you…on the inside and out!
Watch this video to hear a little more about what is in store…
“Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.” – Sophia Loren
The true secret to beauty is found in this quote; the secret being that beauty begins within and I continue to share this message with women of all ages and from every walk of life. The reason beauty begins within is because the mirror inside of you is what reflects back to your mind in the thoughts you think of yourself. These thoughts reflect from your eyes, word, and confidence (or lack of) for the world to see you which is how you see yourself.
That mirror for so many has cracks and breaks in it due to life’s experiences and your perceptions of those experiences. As you reflect everyday into the mirror, words are spoken from within you to you like; “I am over weight”, “I never get a break”, “I am getting old”, “My hair is a mop”, “No one loves me”, and many other words of ugly self-talk that you may or may not be aware that you are speaking to yourself. These words can then become your thinking that reflects in your life and your beauty.
Would you describe yourself as beautiful? According to Dove, 96 percent of women wouldn’t. In order to get a closer look at this shocking statistic, the brand headed to five global cities — San Francisco, Shanghai, Delhi, London, and São Paulo — to capture women considering their own beauty.
As many of you know, I end each of my posts with “beauty begins within,” because I truly believe that it does. I see so many beautiful women whose beauty is outstanding, but hidden by fear of rejection or ridicule. It hurts my heart that these women can’t see what we see, and that’s why I’ve dedicated my life to helping them see their true beauty. When life gets you down, remember the following:
As individuals, we can be our own worst enemy. It can be easy to hold yourself back and say, “I can’t.” Think again! There are ways for you to get rid of these negative thoughts that are holding you back from being all that you can be, and I want to share them with you!
Realize that nothing can hold you back. This is the most important step. If you don’t believe it, then you won’t be open to the idea of being able to accomplish whatever your heart desires. If you believe in yourself, you are opening yourself up to the possibility that anything is achievable (and it is!).
Wigs For Kids is my non profit organization that has been building self-esteem in children for over 35 years by providing handmade hairpieces at no cost to the children’s families. They rely on the hair donations and financial support of people like you. Recently Wigs For Kids had the unique opportunity to have BuzzFeed do a video on one of the most commonly asked questions by individuals who donate their hairs, ” What happens when I donate my hair?” The video above follows the hair donation process from donation cut through the Wigs For Kids Process, all the way to the delivery to a child in need.
To learn more, get involved, or meet some of the kids, please visit Wigs For Kids!
Today is Thanksgiving – a day for us all to remember what we are thankful for…but what about the other 364 days of the year???
Life throws challenges at us and while it is easy to give thanks when everything in our lives is going well or the way that we want it to be, it is a discipline to give thanks even throughout life’s challenges.
Overcoming difficulties, depression, anxiety, disappointment, failures and so much more is a part of our lives and by being thankful on a regular basis, you will appreciate more and live a happier and more fulfilled life.
Remember that God loves us so much that even throughout the challenges we face He is by our side and helping us through it all. If we choose to discipline our thoughts and words, to be thankful for where we are at in our lives and what is to come, then we will diminish the negative feelings, thoughts and actions and focus on our positive life experiences.
As you gather this year, possibly with close loved ones, and give thanks just recollect on the good that has happened and that is still unseen and being worked out for your future. It’s time to unleash the “Gift of Thanksgiving!”
“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” (Philippians 4:8, 9 MSG)
What do you see when you look in the mirror? More than likely, you have a different view of your image than someone else. Just remember, you are more beautiful than you think.
Have you ever had a day or a week filled with chaos? Every step you make seems to be met by challenge after challenge? All you can think of is, “I just want to wake up and have a fresh start…be able to see clearly and move forward uninhibited toward the goals and blessings that are waiting for me just ahead?”
Don’t worry you are not alone! I found a prayer in the Psalms (Psalm 51:7-15) that King David wrote when he was in chaos and needed a fresh start to lift him up so he could see above the circumstances and chaos in his life. This prayer gave David hope for the future.
Today, take a moment to read and meditate on these verses. As you begin to allow these words to sink into your soul you will see that God is a faithful God who loves you. As you begin to trust in Him, and not lean on your own strength and understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6), He will begin to reveal His faithfulness to you by calming the chaos in your life and working all things together for the good. This will in turn give you the fresh start that you need!
Allow these words to strengthen you and then share them with someone else who needs a fresh start.
There is an old parable that often touches my heart. It is a story of choices and inner beauty:
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.
“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. This same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person too.”
The grandson thought about I for a minute and then asked his grandfather,
“Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
Take some time today to take a look at your choices and your actions. Which ‘wolf’ is winning the metaphorical battle inside of you? Are you showing the world the most beautiful version of yourself?
Here is my challenge for us all in the next week: using a journal, or just in your head, document the emotions that you run across each day and the way that you respond to them in different situations.
Then take a sheet of paper and make two columns, sorting your emotions and reactions by the qualities that the old Cherokee described as the good and bad wolf. Where do your emotions and actions fall? Hopefully your inner beauty is shining through!
We’re acquainted with certain descriptive words such as special, unique and one-of-a-kind. Who do you think of when you hear these? Yourself? If not, you should! After all, it’s true. There is no one person exactly like us.
What are your eyes saying? Are you happy, frustrated, or hopeful? Perhaps you’ve heard the saying that your eyes are the window to the heart and give a glimpse of what’s on the inside.
It’s important to remember that beauty begins within. Do you feel beautiful? If you don’t, I’m proud to share that you can change that. In fact, I encourage you to try my tips that I share in this video and see just how much better you feel about being you, a one-of-a-kind person. There is no one like you! It’s time to believe in yourself and realize how special you truly are. I know it, do you?
Let me know in your comments below how this message speaks to you. Have you begun to tell yourself that you are beautiful?
March is National Women’s History Month and because I believe that each and every one of you has a strong mark to make in history, I want to challenge and inspire you to learn, dream and achieve like the women of our past. We celebrate women who have preceded us as well as women who continue to inspire us as they go above and beyond their day-to-day duties and have proven to be invaluable to our society.
From Amelia Earhart to Susan B. Anthony, women have proven to our society that they do matter and I want you to know that this includes you, even if you don’t feel that way today. You are a woman who deserves to be recognized and that is exactly what I plan to do in the month of March. I want to inspire you through powerful quotes, beauty tips, and Linsey, our ‘A New You’ makeover contest winner’s hair restoration process. You deserve to shine not only in the month of March, but always!
If there is a woman who inspires you to live up to your full potential, please comment below and tell me who she is and how she inspires you.
Communications is the key to a healthy self, life, career, organization and family – as well as every relationship you encounter. Not only have I made it my personal goal, but I have also set the goal for Jeffrey Paul Salon, as a whole, to make itour highest priority and focus for 2014 to become even more “healthy. I would like to introduce you to Carolyn Santos, a nationally known communication coach, who is going to not only be a coach to me and my team but also may be a great coach for you as well!
I started noticing my hair getting thinner in the past 8 years. First, it started as just a few hair strands a days, then, more hair began to appear in the shower drain, until one day I realized: “I have a real problem here!” My biggest questions were, “WHY is this happening to me?”, and “WHAT can I do about it?” That’s the way communication issues start. It is one little thing here, one misunderstanding there. One offense caused because someone simply does not understand when they do or say “THAT”, it hurts or offends me. Or, if you are like me, you have conflicting thoughts or ‘voices’ inside that make you feel that you must need to see a professional! Well, yes, we do! But, not that kind of professional! We need a Communication Coach. Someone who can share very simple information that once you know it, it changes everything and starts preventing LOSS in relationships!
Today is a great day to have a great day…and this is a great year to have a great year! Welcome to 2016, friends!
