I apologize for the delay on my interview. I am hoping that soon it will be up and everyone can appreciate the wisdom and words of the wonderful individual I was able to talk to. Unfortunately things have been just as crazy for me this week as they were last week and I have been unable to focus on writing or on the blog.

Fortunately, I have finally settled into life at work and I am getting my groove back. I got a cold recently as well (don't you hate working when you're sick?) and it sure did knock me on my rear end. I am over it - thank the gods - and now I can get back to the things that matter, such as homework and writing. I am hoping to have the interview up within the next few days; don't worry, it's worth the wait. ;)

For a long time I really hated my body. I wished I could be someone else so that my waist would be smaller, my legs thinner and my chest bigger. I put myself down because I knew that I wasn't what society wanted me to be. All that changed though when I realized that beauty is something that cannot be defined simply based on what is on the outside, nor is it defined solely by society. Everyone has different things they find attractive and everyone has different definitions of what they believe beauty is. Just because people on television say that "thin is in" doesn't mean that it's true, it only means that is their opinion, and they are entitled to it. 

If you believe you're beautiful; if you believe your body is perfect and you love it, then you really are everything you need to be. Your opinion really is the only one that matters.

Do you need proof?

Confidence is the sexiest quality a person can have. If you believe you're beautiful and you are confident in your self; your appearance; your abilities; then you will shine from within with a light that blinds and everyone around you will be unable to avoid seeing your beauty and attractive qualities.

Don't put yourself down and imagine what it would be like to be someone else. Love yourself for who you are and be confident; soon everyone, and you, will see that you're gorgeous.

After many months of searching I have finally landed my perfect job. I am working for a plus sized (size 14+) boutique called 'Curvalicious'. I love it because not only do I get to play with clothes all day, but I get to help support healthy body image in larger women.

I've always found larger women to be more attractive both sexually and aesthetically, but most often what I hear from those women themselves is that they would like to be skinnier. I have struggled all my life with feeling like I was too heavy, but I've never really judged other women for being larger sized and I think that's normal. Even if you see another women of the same exact size as you, you might think they're pretty, but you'll still judge your own size more harshly because everyone is their own worst critic. I'm doing my best to stop this way of thinking in myself because that's not a healthy body image at all and if I am going to promote the feeling of self love and acceptance in others I need to make sure the ideas are solid within my own head first.

Big women are beautiful and so am I.

So if you're ever in the Victoria area (and are a plus sized woman who loves fashion) then come down to Curvalicious and play dress up with me. I would love to help you find clothes that show you how lovely your body really is and just how great you can look. I know that just being there the last few training days has already boosted my self confidence; let the lovely atmosphere and clothing in the store do the same for you.

Hope to see you soon!

p.s.
Always remember that soft bodies and voluptuous curves are lovely to hug and to look at.

This is plus size model Tara Lynn. She is so gorgeous it hurts. I love that she represents us curvy girls and shows just how rockin' a soft, curvy body can be.

After an amazingly busy couple of weeks, I am finally getting my first interview under way. The article has been started and I am so excited to share it with all of you! This interview is going to be so inspirational and I can't wait to see how it turns out. If you've ever struggled with failure or felt discouraged about your goals and desires, this one's for you. :)

Happiness and sadness often used to feel like things I had no control over. If something bad happened then I was sad, if something good happened then I was happy. I find that way of thinking to be like allowing the rest of the world to take responsibility for my happiness. We all have the ability inside us to take control of our emotions, instead I see a lot of people putting the responsibility for how they feel on other people and I think that leads to general unhappiness. We can’t control how other people act and we’re always going to be encountering people who do upsetting things. We can however control how we react to other people and choose to be happy and let things go even when we have to deal with people we don’t like.

A short while ago I discovered that the truth is: it’s actually easier to be happy if I take direct responsibility for my own feelings, reactions and perceptions. In other words; if I make it my choice to feel sadness because something bad happens, then at the same time I’m making it my choice to feel happy in spite of undesirable circumstances. For example, imagine you’re having a very bad day. You woke up feeling crappy; nothing seems to be going right; your boss seems to hate your guts and to top it off you keep stubbing your toe. Sounds like a pretty horrible day right? Well, positive self-talk can really turn your day around. You can wake up feeling crappy and choose to play into that, or you can talk to yourself and say that you refuse to feel crappy all day long. You refuse to feel bad for no other reason than you woke up on the wrong side of the bed. You choose to feel good, and you -do- feel good, and there’s nothing your bad mood can do about it. Then you can choose to put on a smile and tell yourself that happiness is what you really want to be feeling. Your brain listens to you; it hears when you tell it that you’re sad and depressed but it also hears you when you tell it that you’re happy and everything will be alright.

Have you ever talked yourself into a bad mood before? It’s the same idea. If you tell your brain that you hate yourself or that your boy/girlfriend doesn’t really love you, eventually you’ll start to believe that and it will affect your whole life. Wouldn’t you rather be telling yourself that you’re happy and the people around you really care? I know I’d prefer to be convincing myself of these positive things than putting myself down. You wouldn’t tell someone else you love that their boy/girlfriend doesn’t love them or they’re ugly or fat – why would you tell yourself that? I believe this method of positive self-talk and taking responsibility for our own happiness is a good way to promote self-love and true, real happiness. Self-love is so important and affects our work, sleep and personal habits. I have to remind myself every day to take care of myself and talk to myself in a loving manner, but I hope that someday it will become a habit that never breaks. I hope all of you love yourselves and take into consideration the power you have to make yourself happy. Happiness comes from within and the best and most affective love you’ll ever receive comes from yourself.

It took me a long time to figure out what my current purpose was in this life. I knew I wanted to do something that would be remembered; something that would make a difference in other people’s lives. A lot of different experiences and interests have led me to my current purpose and that purpose is VoiceBlog.

VoiceBlog is something that has been developing inside me for a long time. Many months went by as this idea seeded and finally began to sprout in my brain. It’s a very difficult feeling to describe, but the closest comparison I could make is the feeling of something almost foreign but still completely a part of you buzzing around inside your head. I feel like this little buzzing piece of me that was flitting around inside my brain pollinated my imagination and after a long while of tending the seed, my sprout of an idea was born.

I feel as though this little sprout is like my baby. It’s a part of me and I am a part of it. It came from my body and my soul and I love it and plan to care for it tenderly and with affection. This baby - this sprout of an idea - is my responsibility now and it is one that I welcome with open arms. I know now why I felt such a sense of urgency in my life leading up to this point and it’s because my internal clock was ticking away. It knew that my mind and soul were ready for this purpose and it just couldn’t wait any longer.

I want to be the best mother I can be for VoiceBlog. I plan to bring books and music and knowledge into its life so that it can grow up strong, intelligent and well-rounded just as every mother hopes for their child. My greatest wish for the future, aside from seeing my baby grow up healthy and happy, is to see that it outlives its mother. I intend to leave a mark on this world and right now that mark is VoiceBlog.

-T