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Super Bowl Beauty Playbook

Hi Beauties!

I’m still recovering from a beautiful 10 day stretch of hosting countless live events in Houston, Texas, leading up to Super Bowl LI. What an absolute dream come true.

As soon as I stepped off the plane in Houston days before the big game, I was blown away by the full-out decorations. What they say is true, everything is bigger in Texas. From high-rise to ground floor, the entire city was draped in Super Bowl attire. To see Houstonians coming together over the love of the sport, and showcasing immense pride in their city’s history-making opportunity was beyond special. Their excitement gave us all a reason to celebrate long before SBLI kick off.

What really stuck with me, Beauties, was the certainty and commitment of the Houston Texans. While their team didn’t make it to the Super Bowl, their fans were out every day proudly wearing their Texans jerseys and chanting “Go Texans” every chance they got. Their bigger picture view included seeing an opportunity in hosting the Super Bowl in their beautiful city — an opportunity to gear up for the next season of football. They stuck by their team, and were so filled with cheer.

All of this made me think of something I’d love to reveal to you, my Beauties…

I have my own weakness in connecting to the bigger picture. I admittedly struggle with seeing the bird’s eye view, getting caught up in the small and discouraging moments instead. Practicing to not sweat the small stuff and keeping my eye on the bigger picture has been a drill that I’ve tried to coach myself into practicing daily, because I know how much joy it brings into my everyday life. Sharing this with you is but another reminder to myself, focus on the end zone.

And that’s just one of the many sports analogies I’d love to share with you. I’m still in the football spirit, so pardon me as I share some Beauty plays. Let’s co-create our own Beauty Therapy Playbook!

The Beauty Therapy Playbook

Offense:In life, we’re often in the offensive position. Fighting for the things we want, fighting to be understood or heard, fighting to survive. Running the football into the end zone is certainly one way to score points and dance your victory moves to a cheering crowd, but don’t underestimate the power of assisting another player in making their winning touchdown a reality. Life doesn’t have to be a constant fight to survive. Offense has its place in the master plan, and so does helping another person win while you score your own personal touchdown. How do you share with others while also taking care of yourself, Beauties?

For me, finding that balance of self-love and giving to others can sometimes be tricky. I always want to be of service to my loved ones, but I also remind myself to make sure my needs are met so that I don’t feel resentful or depleted afterwards. How do I make sure I’m taken care of too?  I show up for myself — I see my therapist on a weekly basis, I get in a good workout, I journal about what I’m feeling and experiencing, and I pray and meditate to plug myself into something bigger than myself. I know when peace is the overall emotional I’m feeling, I’m on the right track. I can then offer others by time, love and support.

Defense: For all those times we have to uphold our beliefs and values, resist or restrict and of course protect the things we care about most — the defensive play is crucial to our very survival. Being defensive is our way of ensuring our safety, but at the same time can lead us into becoming passive and reactive — only when instigated or pushed to our limits do we act. When the defensive strategy is used at the right time and in the most positive way, we can employ it to keep us moving down our path towards the end zone. An interception, on or off the field, is always something to celebrate.

Refs: I think of the refs in the game of life as this internal Jiminy Cricket — that inner barometer for integrity, honesty and authenticity. You may not always love its call, but you know that without that much needed nudge to stay the course within the framework of the rules of the Universe, you couldn’t possibly make the ultimate play.

Coaches: There’s nothing like finding a coach that speaks to your innermost weaknesses. Just like the best player that wants a coach to push him past his comfort zone into growth and success, I’m a huge fan of my own personal life coaches. My therapist, my mentors, my teachers — I am so blessed to have incredible men and women to push and coach me along on this crazy field of life.

Cheerleaders: While the cheerleaders at football games are females, in life every one of us takes on this role in one way or another. We often cheer our friends and loved ones along, and other times we gain confidence through the warm cheers of our support system, our friends, our family, you name it.

So much of sportsmanship is also embracing compromise.

As we know, all relationships require compromise. I’m sure a lot of my beauties “compromised” this past Sunday to see a smile on their loved ones faces. Much like giving up one Sunday a year to watch a sport you may know little or nothing about, life is full of compromises too. But why do we view compromising as such a negative thing?

The definition of compromise literally means “an agreement.” Instead of viewing it from an “I lose” or “you lose” perspective, why not choose to see it as a sign that you’re mature enough to find a middle ground? There’s nothing beautiful about “I’m right, you’re wrong.” Nobody wins when we take on such a black and white approach. Yes, even if you’re technically right.

Heck, I compromise with myself all the time! Choosing to see good instead of bad, looking at the bigger picture, choosing peace over conflict, choosing love over judgement. If we’re going to honestly strive to find internal peace, compromise is key. So cheers to compromising, growing and evolving into a better, more centered and mature you!

Let’s not forget the core value of perseverance, and never giving up.

There’s another divisive element right there. Tom Brady. Whether you love him or hate him, you gotta give it up to the guy. He fought until the very end, and he came back to break the record for most Super Bowl championships won. He was a shining example of refusing to throw in the towel and staying focused until the very end.

I say this to remind us all, Beauties that there is always going to be something to hate, to argue over and to shoot down. You can walk around with a chip on your shoulder, feeling like the world owes you something, or you can give up being right for being happy. Personally, my joy creates my beauty. When I’m stressed or angry, I don’t feel so radiant. But when I connect to the possibility of the goodness in even the worst situations (much like what I believe the Patriots were feeling at half-time), then persevering and conquering the odds is but a moment away.

Which brings me to my final tenet — unity.

Whether you love it or hate it, the Super Bowl is a unifying event. Sunday’s game brought us all together, despite the opposing teams. This Super Bowl was the fifth most-watched program in TV history, and for once this year we weren’t focused on all the things that divided us, but instead we came together over the love of the game. And a crazy game at that — what an insane history making first overtime, with a crazy comeback for the Patriots.

On that note Beauties, I’d love to share with you my video and photo diary from Super Bowl LI! Enjoy 🙂

xoxo,


 

JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION

  1. Jenni Blevins Dingus·February 13, 2017

    This was an amazing post you made! So proud of you😊 How did you get this amazing opportunity? Love ya!

  2. Bern·February 13, 2017

    What an amazing experience, keep up the awesome work!!!

  3. Hope Lefke·February 13, 2017

    What a great opportunity! You did an amazing job! Glad to see you are doing so well! Love ya!

  4. Sherry·February 13, 2017

    Proud of you. Love you. I know you had a blast!!!

  5. Cathy Fletcher·February 13, 2017

    Brandon would love that picture of Dan Marino , Dolphins have been his favorite since he was little!! Love you Ms. Lauren!! Congrats!!

  6. Carrol Puckett- Holland·February 13, 2017

    so proud of you and yes you are amazing and beautiful inside and out , love you

  7. Ashley Dickenson·February 13, 2017

    Such an amazing post and experience for you!! So so proud of you for working so hard and fulfilling the dreams that you have always had! Love you!

  8. Cindy Robinette·February 14, 2017

    Loved this post! Amazing as always!

  9. Jennifer Mullins·February 16, 2017

    I enjoyed reading your comparison of the Superball Game and life! Great vision and I could relate to each! I especially liked The Coach and his part in our life! Looked like a fun place to work! Keep the Blog joining! JEN