Happy is the real pretty. I’d like to take a moment to just talk about life and how we can change. Some people love to say, well, that’s not the kind of person that I am, or I don’t do those things, or anyone who knows me knows that I don’t do that.

But I’d like to take a moment to give you an opportunity to consider, could you change? Could you change your attitude? Could you change your perspective? Would you like to be a little bit more open-minded? I know for me, I try hard not to get stuck in my ways. So when you’re developing new habits or you have an interest in something that’s different, it’s going to become a part of your life, you have to be patient and you have to be persistent. So the fact that you’re even watching this video means that your interest was sparked by this concept of happy is the real pretty.

And one of the subtitles in the process of writing this material was transforming vanity into self-love. And this really represents my own personal journey. As a lady and someone who speaks in front of people for a living, I’ve always had to pay attention to my appearance.

So when I first started teaching yoga, I would show up, you know, in an old t-shirt with a messy ponytail and people accepted me and loved me that way. But as I’ve gotten a little older and, you know, grown up, society puts pressure on us to look a certain way, to behave a certain way, I started to really notice that I had a certain amount of vanity. Now, they say it’s one of the seven deadly sins.

I don’t know if I really believe that, but it’s an interesting subject. So I am vain, I’ll admit it. When I look in the mirror, I want to look good because I know it’s going to give me more personal magnetism and help me project a positive image into the people that are taking my yoga class.

Now, your life is different, but think about the time and energy that you put into combing your hair, you know, buttoning your shirt properly, putting yourself together. Well, then there’s that self-talk, and this is a really deep subject. These are the words you say to yourself that no one else can hear.

Now, I know it might sound like, cuckoo, talking to yourself, but we all do it. We all have a voice in our head that’s saying, oh, you look good today or, oh, girl, you do not look good today. So get to know that, and that is what I think you can learn to change.

In fact, let me reword that. I know you can change your self-talk. I’ve done it, and I know you can.

So here’s where you start. Pay attention. Are you being mean to yourself in your head? For many years, I disciplined myself by being mean to myself.

I would say, get up, you bum, go work out, and I wouldn’t reward myself unless I’d done what I needed to do, and it was this discipline thing I had going in my mind. Well, I’m so grateful that I grew out of that, and it was a process. Now, I do my fitness.

I eat healthy, and I make choices and do these exercises for the face as an act of self-love, and I know that can sound like I’m full of myself or like an egomaniac would have self-love, but really, it’s coming from just true confidence and love. Love is a beautiful thing. We all want love.

Well, if you don’t love yourself, you won’t be getting much love from the world around you, so focus on that. Can you be a little nicer to yourself? Can you say something positive, and can you not focus so much on what’s bad and what you want to change? One little tip is when you find yourself about to complain, like, oh, it’s so hot in here, you could practice saying, wouldn’t it be nice if a cool breeze came right now? I know that’s a little silly, but it helps you learn how to shift your perspective. We all know, is the glass half empty? Is it half full? We’ve all heard that before, but start paying attention to your perspective about yourself and choosing a little bit nicer, kinder words, and you’ll be amazed how that inward flow, that inward focus of love radiates back out from you, and all sorts of good things start to happen.

Give it a try. Don’t give up. Be persistent and start to notice when you get back into those negative patterns, and making little changes day by day, you will see and feel a huge difference.