Goodness knows, I haven't always fit into these categories; and I can't be thankful enough for that, either! However, from junior high school through college, there has been one theme I've always strived to master; being pretty.

To me, being pretty meant having nice hair, wearing makeup tastefully, and being skinny. Skinny being the functional word. If I wasn't ten pounds underweight, then I was fat. I never had an eating disorder, and that's not where this story is headed, but I was consumed with my weight and envied models who sauntered down runways.

As an adult, I'm finally starting to come into my own. I don't find the modeling industry repulsive, although I do find certain aspects of it to be unattractive, at best. I no longer envy the six-foot tall girl who weighs 110 pounds. And it's not because there aren't admirable things about her. Certainly there are.

It is, however, that I now find athletic women to be so much more attractive and alluring. A great example is Gabriella Reese. How cool is she? She's educated, athletic, and has a fabulous career in the limelight; and she's muscular. not skinny.

So my taste in who I want to be is changing. The skinny toothpick, who knows just what to wear to attract the boys and just what to say to get asked out, no longer lives here.

Today, I strive to be complete in ways that I choose. So here's my new commitment. I will not diet any longer because being skinny just isn't worth starving over. I will, and have already started to, work out both cardiovascularly and with weights to build a strong body. A body that will carry me into old age and prevent me from having to ask someone else to take down the sugar from the top shelf. I will not wear uncomfortable clothes or shoes just to impress, because I've done that and it stinks to be uncomfortable. I will buy clothes that I feel good in and that allow me to bend over without showing my buns, stretch without showing my midriff, and walk without creating calluses and bunions. And I will never, ever let a boy "win" just to save his ego; and I hope he will do the same for me. I will participate in conversations that challenge me mentally and spiritually. I will appreciate the woman under this skin.

This week, I challenge you to review who you are today. What do you want to change? What do you do because someone else once put value on it? MAKE YOURSELF INTO WHO YOU ARE; because frankly, THERE'S NO ONE ELSE TO BE!

About the Author:

Jenette Zubero is a Strategist and Coach for professional women. To Learn More, go to Focused Lives. Stop by and receive your FREE Strategy Map WORKBOOK! (C) 2000 And Figure Out WHAT you want from life and HOW to get it. it!