Could my niece Myla Marie (named after Auntie Terra MARIE) have a more precious smile??? I think NOT!! Our girl just celebrated her first birthday! Wow, the time has gone by fast! I remember writing a blog from the hospital last year while waiting for her to to be born!

“A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he cannot get along without it and none is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it. Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.”
— Author Unknown

I love leading Weight Watchers meetings because of all the kind, caring people I meet and am surrounded by at each meeting every week. Those people, most likely YOU reading this blog today, are the kinds of people who are just genuinely loving, supportive, generous people who for the most part, see the good in life and embrace it. The members and staff I work with at WW are people who would happily let you go ahead of them in line if you looked like you were in a real hurry. They are people who would give you a ride home if you locked your keys in your car, no matter how busy they were. They would hold you baby for you while you weighed-in on the scale. They will clap and cheer for you like you’re the Queen of England when you lose weight…even if it’s just two tenths of a pound. They will also do whatever it takes to raise your spirits and push you to keep going when you have had a gain.

Nice folks, huh? The “they” I keep referring to is US. YOU AND ME. We are all very good at giving, giving, giving, giving, giving…… whether it be a complement, a helping hand, a smile or even a hug and those are beautiful qualities we possess. I’m asking you to keep up the good work, but I am also asking you to reflect some of that kindness and those smiles, cheers and hugs back to YOURSELVES. Often we see so much good in others but we are unable to see it in ourselves, especially when it comes to body image and weight. We can be our own harshest critic and we don’t deserve that kind of treatment, nor is it justified.

You know I love to give a good challenge…so here she is…..I challenge you to be kinder to yourself and to express the same forgiveness, gratitude, tolerance and understanding that you so generously give to those around you on a daily basis. You have weight goals and other goals you want to successfully attain, so the first step in achieving those goals is dealing with TODAY. Let’s get in the best possible frame of mind so we can do this with joy. When we feel better, we do better and NO MATTER what your current situation, there are blessings in it to be had…sometimes we just have to look for them. You might have to look hard to see a blessing or a sprout of good in some situations, but keep looking, they are there and you WILL find them. I never in a million, trillion years would have guessed that my lifelong struggles with weight would lead me to something as priceless as the friendships and connections I have made through helping others get control of their eating and weight too. Talk about a “silver lining” to every cloud! That silver lining has become so bright and shiny that I no longer even see the cloud most days, thanks to you! NOW GO FIND THE GOOD AND BE NICER TO YOURSELF STARTING TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!