A Message to My Younger Self

If I could go back in time and tell my 17 year old self one thing, it would be...

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL GIRL!!!!

There is no need to be so insecure. Stop stressing about your weight, your size, your looks in general. Don't care so much about how others think of you. You are a perfect divine creation of God, and that alone makes you a masterpiece.

Truth is, I can't go back and talk to my younger self. Or...can I? I have a young 17 year old daughter, who is in a way, a younger version of myself. I can make sure that she hears the lessons I have learned on my journey. I can tell her that she has absolutely no reason to ever question her worth based solely on her appearance.

As a teenage girl, I was never super thin. I would agonize over this. I was a cheerleader, and I remember the day that one of my male cousins told me that I was "the fat cheerleader." That comment from a misogynistic immature teenage boy, actually drove me to bulimia. I spent years being mortified at that thought of being "the fat cheerleader." I spent way too much time thinking about calories and afraid of food.

As an adult looking back at photos of myself in my cheer leading uniform, I shake my head, because now I can see that I was adorable. Sure, I was shorter than most of my friends, and a lot curvier, but I was never fat. The only thing that makes me sad looking back on those days, is that I spent sooo much time and energy worrying about not being thin enough, when I should have been enjoying being 17!

I look at my daughter. She does not have a small frame. She is 5'11" and weighs about 175 lbs. I look at all of her friends, and I can see the same insecurities in them that plagued me at their age. I also see so much beauty in each of them. Many of them have no clue how beautiful they are, and they try so hard to fit the "mold."

My daughter plays beach volleyball. She doesn't look like most of the girls out there on the sand court. I have told her over and over not to ever compare herself to anyone else. Beauty, strength and power come in all shapes and sizes. Athleticism and beauty have absolutely nothing to do with body size. I tell her and her friends, " Kerri Walsh Jennings (the Olympian beach volleyball player) and Serena Williams are two of the best athletes of all time, and they have two completely different body types.

So even though I may not be able to go back and talk to my younger self, I can sure as hell make sure that my daughter as well as all of her friends understand that they are all so freaking gorgeous. There is nothing to be insecure of. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. And the most beautiful quality any person can have comes from inside.

If you have daughters, or young ladies in your life, please be supportive of them. Show them that women can uplift one another instead of criticizing each other. Kind words can make someone feel great. Don't criticize a woman in front of your daughter. Don't criticize yourself in front of the mirror, especially when the young ones are watching. And tell them that they are beautiful on a regular basis. Because truth is... They Are!

Namaste friends,

Sabrina