Putting your best face forward
You’ve heard the phrase, “Putting your best face forward.” But what does it mean? It means beginning to truly see the greatness of yourself and the greatness you bring to the world. You only need to look at the face you present: every smile, frown, or frown to see a “perfect face.” Your face is the only face like this. Nobody else has a face like yours, not even those who are identical twins have the same face, so you are continually showing your unique face.
Your face is the face you think for this life, just as your body is the body you think for this life. Remember that your face and your body are unique and that you make them. Your face is perfect, perfect for you and perfect for the world. Hollywood and New York model standards are for show, with no objective substance. Who determines what is perfect? Cosmetics or clothing marketing gurus want you to believe that there is such a thing as a ‘perfect look’. However, their main goal is to entice you to buy their products by assuring you that buying their product will give you the perfect face or body.
There is nothing wrong with makeup, face creams and lotions. They are important to create a total body cleanse and to make you feel like you are taking good care of yourself. However, it’s important to keep perspective: You can take good care of yourself with a $20.00 bottle of face cream or lotion; the $50.00 bottle will not make you look better or younger even though the advertising is convincing.
The key to having a ‘perfect face’ is to look in the mirror without judgment: look at your wonderful face that has faced the world; faced all problems and worked head-on; has smiled under the weight of complex feelings; she has taken it with her chin when life got tough and has met every challenge with grace and dignity. That’s the ‘perfect face’.
Your beautiful face has endured and expressed all the emotions and feelings that have arisen along your path. Your face has weathered emotional storms and has stood the test of time. If you have some wrinkles, hurt them; because in those wrinkles are the memories of the ‘wrinkles’ you faced in your life. Give yourself credit for getting through those tough times. Your face has carried you through all your victories and successes that you have set out to achieve.
Your face changes over time from birth to this moment, right now. However, your wonderful face contains all the times of your life. Your face automatically breaks into a smile when you remember the ups and downs, and sometimes that smile turns into a faint trace of joy when you remember the challenges or a smirk when you remember the tough times. Your face is your best expression of your entire life.
Your face reflects the past, the present and the future. Right now, look in the mirror and tell yourself that you love your face. Yes, tell yourself that you love your face. Consider looking at her face with a new perspective and express gratitude for all that she has faced. Remember, it takes fewer facial muscles to smile than it does to frown. So, as the song says, “Smile.” Your mirror is your own ‘Candid Camera’: you decide what the joke will be. You decide which face you will put: smile, grimace, joy, frown or frown.