The Holiday Happening at Girls Inc. of St. Louis

that one time dem girls commandeered my iPad #AndIAintEvenKnowIt

Hola Chicas,

On Saturday I visited Girls Inc. of St. Louis, a non-profit organization that is (to quote myself) close to my heart because, (1) I was once employed there, (2) my mom is the program director, and (3) they’re teaching young ladies to be strong, smart and bold… ’nuff said! I was honored to speak to the teens about the importance of building a positive self-image, what the ‘inner-critic’ is and why she’s so negative, and invited them to participate in the 30-days-to-real-self-esteem challenge!

Peep the view>>>

with Cheryl Jones (President/CEO) of Girls Inc of St. Louis

To kick off the break-out session, I asked the girls to draw a picture of how they see themselves. Then, on one side of the paper, they were to list the things they love about their appearance (as many features as they could think of) and on the other side, they were to list one thing (and one thing only) that they didn’t like.

see my pink iPad there… I had no idea they were snapping pics!

While they were working, I heard everything from, ‘I hate my hair’, to ‘My head is awkward’ to “My arms are too short’. Not surprisingly (unfortunately, it’s our plight as women in this society), many of them had a difficult time choosing only one feature they didn’t like. Those that wanted to, shared their lists with the group and discussed why they felt that way. I chimed in with questions to help them examine their assumptions and preferences. We also discussed that inner voice, how to recognize it and replace the negative commentary with more positive messages about themselves.

#SheDidThat Literally, tho. She did her hair herself!

Then I challenged them. For 30 days straight–

(1) lock yourself in the bathroom in the morning (for privacy)

(2) stand in the mirror and look into your eyes (you will feel uncomfortable and silly)

(3) tell yourself ‘I love you’, give yourself compliments, talk positively to yourself, compliment yourself on the way you look, your personality, etc. (the way you do people you love, only this is your star player, so go HAM!)

(4) get on with your day

This small, 1-2 minute activity will absolutely change your life.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Girls Inc girls were celebrating the holiday!