In a society that promotes unrealistic ideals, whether it has to do with your body size, the color of your skin, your finances, your status in society – it’s challenging to not get caught up in comparing yourself to unrealistic standards and question your own worthiness.

The desire to better our situation and improve our lives is the basis behind everything we do and every action we take. As members of the human race we all wish to be better than we were yesterday. To love, to laugh, to be successful, to provide for our loved ones, and above all, to be happy and spread happiness. For many, it’s far too easy to get sucked into the belief that we are limited, that our dreams are impossible and that the ‘good life’ wasn’t really meant for us in the first place.

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we get caught up in the drama around us and forget who we are on a deeper level. We forget that we are Divine beings having a human experience. We give too much importance to the outward appearance, whether it’s our own or others’. And we judge, whether consciously or unconsciously, in the same way as we are judged, based on how we appear.

Look around you. What do you assign most importance to? Do you obsess about your looks, your weight, your height, the color of your skin? How much time do you waste daily on comparing yourself to others, on criticizing yourself, your body?

Is your body image holding you back?

If so, I invite you to step back and come on a journey with me…

Take a deep breath. Practice stillness, and go within.

Amidst all the DOING don’t bypass BEING.

There is no rush. There is no need to try to fix anything in this moment.

Take a deep breath. Take a second to feel your body. Lean into YOU.

Imagine you’re looking at your reflection in the mirror.

Fall in love with the girl you see in this mirror. She is a friend, a lover, a sister, a daughter, a woman. She is all that and more. Your body is just a container of all these special things, the things you cannot see in your reflection.

Always remember you have a body. Remember before your body gets loud and you have to go into fixing mode. Nurture and nourish, take care of it. Take the time to send it love.

The hunger, the layered stories inside your body, they are here all the time. They speak to you in the quiet moments, the dark moments, the fleeting moments. The stories are wisdom, your guide.

Your body is where your lineages live, the elders you are looking for… and they speak to you when you make time for your BODY, when you’re not busy fixing, running, DOING.

Begin where you are. Right here, right now. Have a deep delicious conversation with who you are… today. Don’t wait to BE the human or the BODY or the woman you want to be, for the one you wish you were. BE her now, and be with her, today and always.

When you know where you are you can rewrite your story so it aligns with your values. You can live and love by your values, dance to the rhythm that holds your body, your family’s body, integrated inside your day-to-day living.

Create a sacred space where you can unravel your stories. Take all the heaviness that isn’t serving you and let it go. Create tinctures for your pain, shame, grief, hunger, and more. Apply to your BODY and give yourself time to heal.

Surround yourself with beauty, with all things beautiful. Surround yourself with those who lift you, who lift your spirits, those who believe in you and who mean you well.

Rewrite your story and live the life that feels deeply aligned with who you are. Your near and dear ones, your children and your loved ones, need to know who you are. By so doing you are serving them in the most meaningful way, so that thru your stories they too may know who THEY are.

This conversation, these words, this powerful message; your body, your inner calling, all these are held in a deep sacred space. This space integrates and transforms you as it holds you. It is telling you: you are unique, you are beautiful, you are enough. It is reminding you that your BODY is a miracle.

Don’t wait another day. There is an urgency, a calling from deep within. Can you hear it? Your BODY is waiting – to be loved, to be accepted, to be held.

Together let’s say: Thank you Breath; Thank you Life; THANK YOU BODY!

© Rani St. Pucchi, 2017

Rani St. Pucchi is an award-winning Couture Fashion Designer, a Style & Image Consultant, and a Relationship Expert. She is a Bestselling Author, a Speaker, an Inspirational Coach and a Trainer. Her recent TEDx talk: Is Your Body Image Holding You Back has received much acclaim and is worth watching. Rani’s #1 International Bestselling Books, Your Body, Your Style: Simple Tips on Dressing to Flatter Your Body Type and The SoulMate Checklist: Keys to Finding Your Perfect Partner are now available on Amazon and at Barnes & Nobles.

For more information on Rani please visit www.ranistpucchi.com