Alina Z
  • ABOUT
    • Bio
    • Events
  • Work with me
    • One-On-One Coaching
    • Self-Study Course
    • Corporate Consulting
    • Private Chef Services
    • Group Classes
    • Marketing & PR
  • TV SHOW
  • Books
  • Podcast
  • Testimonials
  • As Seen In
  • BLOG
  • Contact

"ASK ALINA" BLOG

Beauty VS. the Beast

7/18/2011

5 Comments

 
One of my favorite Disney movies is Beauty and the Beast. This morning I was thinking what a beautiful story it is -- a gorgeous girl falls in love with a beast because she can see something special in him. She falls in love with his beautiful spirit. Millions of people world-wide know this story and admire it as much as I do. Little girls from an early age are taught to look through the looks and love people for who they are. I think we all consciously try to do that. Except for one person. In my line of work I often see women who can't fall in love with themselves. 

I have several clients that are truly beautiful inside and out, but somehow they don't love themselves. There is a lot of self-doubt, low self-worth and a lot of negativity that is pointed inwards. I must admit that loving myself wasn't easy either. It took a long time for me to be able to tell myself that I love me. It wasn't easy to see what a great person I am. And even as I am writing these lines, a lingering doubt still comes over my head and asks me who the heck am I to say that I am a great person? Why in the world should I think that I am great? To silence the voice I want to ask it back -- why not?

It is me who is doing the thinking, so I might as well think well of myself. One of my favorite quotes is from Henry Ford who said: "Whether you think you can or you can't.  Either way you're right." Funny thing is, you are the one who gets to choose how to think. No one is perfect. We all have good and not-so-good traits. We are all doing the best we can. So, if you love your friends just as they are, if you respect a wedding vow that states "for better or worse," then why not apply the same rules to ourselves? 

Love yourself as you are and focus on the good in you. See your own beauty, not the "beast." Why can Belle love the beast while it is often so hard to humans to love ourselves? Nourish your spirit and be gentle with yourself. I believe there is divinity in each one of us and it is our job to respect it and appreciate it. I am not advocating self-loathing or selfishness. I am simply trying to shift focus from being our own worst-critic to our very own best cheerleader. We have the power to love or hate ourselves. Chances are, we can find reasons to do either one. Why not choose the one that makes us feel good?

It may take practice, but I promise you, it is well worth-it. I started by looking at myself in the mirror and trying to come up with 3 things I liked about myself. It may not be easy at first, so see yourself as your friends do and start thinking of things people compliment you on. Work on focusing on those features and expand the list as you go along. Like a small snowball of self-love, it will begin to grow bigger with each practice until one day when you pass by yourself in the mirror, smile, wink at yourself and say "Hello, Gorgeous!" 
5 Comments
Louise
8/4/2013 09:56:57 am

We need to teach our daughters that they are beautiful, smart and strong. It starts early in life. If you always hear how you don't measure up, it is hard to love yourself. I tell my friends with daughters to tell them everyday that they are beautiful, smart and strong. We need to combat the media that is always telling them they will not be beautiful unless...

Reply
Alina
8/5/2013 07:36:41 am

Louise, you are absolutely right and that is my mission to help people fall in love with their own beautiful selves! So happy to hear that you are inspiring others to embrace self love.

Reply
Kathryn McKibbin
11/20/2015 11:15:50 am

Reply
Allison Brooks link
2/26/2021 04:35:49 am

Lovelyy blog you have here

Reply
Alina Zhukovskaya
2/26/2021 05:07:27 pm

Thank you so much! I am happy you are enjoying it!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    ASK ALINA

    Why ask me?

    - After many challenges and different crazy life experiences I am living my dream life and since my friends say I am pretty wisdomous  and I think I am a little bit funny too, I want to share my life approach with you so you can live the life you love as well.

    Here is a little bit about me: 

    - I am a creator of #1 Best Diet as selected by Harpers Baazar Magazine

    - I started my career in the corporate world and didn't even know how to peel a shallot

    - I have been a chef for celebrities for over 10 years 

    - I have a realistic approach to food and life

    - I have a great relationship with food and can even let chocolate go bad because I simply forget I have it at home (something I wasn't able to do 10 years ago)

    - I eat carbs whenever I feel like it without any guilt

    - I used to hate to cook and now absolutely love  being a private chef and a food relationship coach

    - I wear whatever clothes I desire no matter what everyone is wearing or thinking

    - I am in good shape and my body’s biological age is 13 years younger than the one in my passport

    -  I have experience being super poor, super wealthy and in between

    - I’ve worked in corporate world and am now an entrepreneur

    - I was married and divorced

    - I used to cry going to work because I was so miserable with my boss

    -  I’ve had an emotional eating disorder

    - I moved from Russia to USA alone at the age of 15

    - I’ve lived in Russia, Europe and on both coasts of USA

    - I have been super skinny and overweight

    - I have been insecure and unhappy with reasons and secure and happy for no reason

    - I used to wear glasses and healed my eyes with the power of thought and exercises

    - I created "Couture Nutrition®" so you can have tailor-made solutions for your body and soul

    - My brain usually comes up with jokes to soften stressful situations

    - I think color coordination, sparkles and rainbows are underused

    RSS Feed

    Sign Up To Receive These Blogs Via Email!
    For Email Marketing you can trust

      Got a question?  Ask Alina here:

    Submit
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

Contact ALINA

    Subscribe TO NEWSLETTER:

Submit
*Disclaimer: The information provided in this program is intended for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as and should not be relied upon as medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional before starting any new exercise, diet, or other health-related program, as there may be underlying medical conditions or other factors that could affect your ability to safely engage in such activities. The creator of this program and its affiliates are not medical professionals and are not responsible for any injuries or health problems that may arise from the use of the information provided in this program. 
  • ABOUT
    • Bio
    • Events
  • Work with me
    • One-On-One Coaching
    • Self-Study Course
    • Corporate Consulting
    • Private Chef Services
    • Group Classes
    • Marketing & PR
  • TV SHOW
  • Books
  • Podcast
  • Testimonials
  • As Seen In
  • BLOG
  • Contact