Living with Tenacity. This post is sponsored by Liz Louize. For more posts by Liz Louize go HERE and HERE.
Happy Friday! Today on the blog I am sharing a new campaign that went live yesterday with Liz Louize! I wanted to share this with all of you because of the amazing message behind the #projectyoutoday campaign. AND I thought I would share how I live for today, and ways that I make my body positive journey a big part of my life.
If you have been following me for awhile then you know that 3 months ago Liz(withwonderandwhimsy.com) opened a social media consulting agency! We have clients that dabble in all types of work. From clothing boutiques to car shops, our agency is expanding and taking on new projects every week. We were especially excited when the babes at Liz Louize approached us about a new body positive campaign. They tasked us with helping this idea take shape and form, and we went for it with all we had. Liz and I understand this campaign on a whole other level because we are going through our own body positive journeys.
What is #projectyoutoday
#projectyoutoday is a body positive campaign that is all about helping women live in the moment, plus size women are constantly living for when they lose that weight, or when they finally have a partner. This campaign is all about helping women see their worth, and find happiness in the moment. To read more about #project you today head over to the Liz Louize website!
How I am making #projectyoutoday real in my life
When I first started my body positive journey back in 2015 I committed to this plus size body. I made the conscious decision to stop hating myself and start loving and appreciating my body. I committed to my blog, and chronicling my body positive journey. And I will tell you, that I never really had a word for that commitment. I just woke up one day and decided to LIVE, but when Liz and I were crafting #projectyoutoday I came across a word that I can say was EXACTLY what I did all those years ago, and fits perfectly with my view on #projectyoutoday.
I am a tenacious person by nature, I have found that through persistence, and determination I can do just about anything I set my mind too. Before I was body positive I used tenacity in my life to complete a mired of goals in my personal life. When I was a teenager I won a world championship in horse back riding, I maintained a long term relationship with my now husband, and brought home excellent grades. I went at whatever I decided I wanted to do, but always ALWAYS I maintained a terrible relationship with my body. I didn’t see value in loving myself. When I was in college, I continued to use my tenacious nature on school, student teaching, and professional relationships. I decided to go on a diet, and try to be the “thin” version of myself, I turned my tenacity on myself in the form of a diet, but I never stopped hating myself. No matter how thin I got it was never good enough, my persistence and resolve was unhealthy and when my body fought back, I gained all the weight back. AND that is when I had the realization that hating myself is not the answer.
So I woke up. I decided that I was going to start loving myself fiercely. I was going be tenacious in a positive way, I set my sights on changing my views from self hatred to self love. And in the definition above you can see the different ways of being tenacious. In this part of the story I want to say that my tenacity had turned from being determined, to being persistent. My #projectyoutoday journey means continuing to exist. I am persistent, I continue to exist in this body. And I refuse to stop loving myself. I take it day to day and honestly it doesn’t come naturally to me everyday. But I am persistent. On the days when I am feeling down, I talk with my tribe, and I have developed tried and true ways of reminding myself of the journey I am on. Being tenacious means, being determined and persistent and taking a FIRM grip on life.
On the days that I am struggling I bring my focus back by doing some of these things.
- Listen to empowering music – I have a playlist on my phone that is full of empowering songs and powerful voices.
- Wear clothes that make me feel good – on the days I need a little extra boost, I wear my favorite outfits. Ones that make me feel powerful and beautiful and special.
- Talk to a friend – I didn’t know how important it was to have plus size friends until I had a plus size friend. On the days when I need a reminder of how fabulous my life is, I call one of my curvy babes. And we talk about living in a plus size body, and self love, and whatever we want.
- And for my married readers or readers that are in relationships- I turn towards my husband, and I love him. When I am down, I have found that talking to him, going for a walk, or cooking together really helps.
To me #projectyoutoday is ALL OF THIS. Its being real, and living in the moment, its allowing yourself to be perfectly imperfect.
Photos by Jen Boris
To learn more about #projectyoutoday check out Liz Louize and follow the hashtag on Instagram!!
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Liz says
Loved reading this! Yes to finding your happiness and living in the moment! And I love that you shared strategies for centering yourself. I also turn to my wardrobe to build up my confidence and immerse myself in color, beauty, and positive energy. I really like your tip about cooking with your husband, too. There’s something so nice about cooking a meal together that transforms it from a chore to true quality time.
Liz
http://withwonderandwhimsy.com/2018/06/22/projectyoutoday-building-confidence-style/