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Finding Joy in the Simple Things:

Things in the world feel heavy duty right now.  We can’t turn on the news without hearing about the economy online presence expert failing, the environment changing and the rising rates of crime and homelessness. It can be tempting to just tune out. While we can’t pretend that these issues don’t exist,  we also can’t let them take over our lives. Now, more than ever, we have to make sure that we take pleasure in the simple things. I have made a short list of all the free things we can enjoy in this time of pinching pennies and tightening our belts:

• Hugs
• Kisses
• Thank You’s
• Inspiration
• Passion
• Excitement
• Long lost friends
• Family
• Loved ones
• Faith
• Hope
• Belief
• Laughter
• Tickles
• Silly stories
• Imagination
• Vision
• Commitment
• Quiet Contemplation
• Grace
• Togetherness

High Pressure Cleaning Sydney Point is – we don’t have to OWN things – we can EXPERIENCE things too. When was the last time you and your friends just hung out at some one’s house, laughing the night away? Not going to the movies, not eating out at a restaurant, just chilling in your friend’s kitchen, catching up? Spending time with the people you love doesn’t have to involve spending money. I am lucky to live in Los Angeles, one of the sunniest cities in America. Sometimes, if I’m feeling unfocused or frazzled, I hike (also free!) on canyon trails and near the ocean. A little exercise brings me back to earth, and helps me to appreciate all the natural beauty that I have at my fingertips. It can be easy to stay inside all the time, hunched over the computer or vegging out in front of the TV, but I always feel so much more alive and relaxed after being outdoors in the fresh air, even if it is just on my daily twenty minute walk around my neighborhood!

Everyone gets tired and stressed out sometimes and it can be really easy to focus solely on what is happening within your own personal bubble. But, if the past couple of months have taught us nothing else, we don’t exist in isolation. Sometimes, the best way to de-stress pokies and have fun is to help someone else. Now more than ever, volunteers are needed to help out at all sorts of charities. Whether you help build a house, assist at a local animal shelter, or pass out food at a soup kitchen, the gratitude and sense of community that you experience will be more rewarding than any paycheck.

So, this month, I invite you all to celebrate the small joys in life. Yes. There are many sad and awful events happening in our world, but there are also so many things to be thankful for!!

It is in times like these that we find out what we are made of. This is a time of great change and transition and it brings with it a lot of unknown elements. And for any other Type A’s out there, this can drive you mad (not knowing what will happen next) but what if we tried to make a little more peace with the mysteries of our lives? What if we choose to stand powerfully in a time like this and just make a choice to believe that we will be alright. We will make it to the other side. And not only that, we will prosper and flourish!

Jess is a Featured Real Beauty on RealBeautyIs.com!

Check out Jess’s interview below, and visit RealBeautyIs.com
for more ways to embrace your perfectly imperfect self!

I am a Real Beauty because…
“I am not afraid to be messy. Life is messy, emotions are messy, and being real can be messy.”

I am most beautiful when…
“I am being most true to myself and the people around me. Honesty makes you glow.”

If I were not afraid I would…
“Climb the rest of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. I stopped at 150 feet because I am terrified of heights.

Today I celebrated my beauty by…
“Promising myself I’ll go to bed early tonight!! I need at least 8 hours or I’m grumpy!”

My advice to a young woman struggling
with her body image and self-esteem is…
“See the big picture. Remember that you are more than your face, your belly, your legs. You are a whole and complete person and your body is just the package that your soul comes in. One of the deepest sighs of relief you’ll ever have is when you finally accept that you aren’t perfect and you never will be. Embrace who you are – now – incomplete, imperfect, and messy.”

About Jess
Jess Weiner is an author, self-esteem expert, advice columnist, and media personality, committed to transforming the self-esteem of women and girls worldwide. With a refreshingly candid and engaging personality, Jess has an incomparable gift for connecting with both mothers and daughters alike and helping them to develop the attributes of self-confidence, self-knowledge, and self-acceptance.

Jess is a contributing editor for Seventeen Magazine, for which she writes a monthly column dedicated to discussing body image and cultivating a sense of body peace. Jess is the Global Ambassador for the Dove Self-Esteem Fund (DSEF) and plays a vital role in their global campaigns throughout North America and Canada. As Ambassador, Jess contributes a featured column to the Dove Digital Channel on MSN, allowing her message to reach millions of women and girls worldwide.

Jess chronicles her own self-discovery and ultimate recovery from a teenage eating disorder in her first book, A Very Hungry Girl. Spending over 15 years on the road listening to the real life issues of women and the language they use to describe their body image helped to fuel Jess’s second book, Life Doesn’t Begin 5 Pounds From Now, which attempts to decode the ‘language of fat’ and explores how body image controls the way women think about their health, wealth, family, career, and relationships. Both books are available through national retailers.

As a best-selling author, advice columnist and self-esteem expert, Jess has inspired millions of women and teens to become Actionists ® by making positive, proactive choices in their everyday lives. Jess gives advice on topics ranging from body image to relationships, friendships, family issues and media pop culture. Being a conduit for conversation between teens and their parents, Jess shares her unique on-air personality and expertise as the self-esteem expert for The Tyra Banks Show, and makes frequent appearances to discuss women’s lifestyle topics on The Today Show and CNN Showbiz Tonight.

She comes to her subject matter organically, having overcome many of today’s tough teen issues herself. Her authentic manner of self-disclosure, compassion, and tangible tools of action make Jess a sought after voice for girls and women alike. Jess first tapped into her desire to create social online surveys change by parlaying her personal experience and love for theatre by founding the ACT Out Ensemble, a national touring theater company based in Indianapolis. She has authored numerous social issue plays covering topics such as eating disorders, relationships, school violence, date rape and hate crimes. Her work has been used to fuse the gap between healing and action in high profile crisis hotbeds such as Columbine High School following the massacre in 1999.

As a recognized public speaker, Jess has spoken at some of the nation’s most prestigious institutes, Fortune 500 corporations, and universities, including Harvard and Yale. She has been a keynote speaker for three Governor’s Conferences on Women in the states of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Jess has also keynoted for income protection insurance National Boys and Girls Club of America, The Junior League, Step Up Women’s Network, What Teens Want and Kid Power media conferences. When Jess isn’t busy changing the world, she likes to walk on fire! you need life insurance!