Shining With Charm

This week has been so insane. It is spring break for the great University of Texas and mine began with my roommate’s wedding (which was perfect) and now I'm leaving NYC after a networking trip. Next week I’ll talk more about my trip (it was a doozy, I never use that word but it seems to be the only one that’s relevant). But right now I’m sitting at my gate in LaGuardia airport (2 hours early because I am my mother’s daughter) and directly across from me is one of those shoe-shining stations. I’ve never really paid much attention to them but this man who is working at the station is the most charismatic person I’ve ever seen. He is probably in his 50s and has the best attitude. I understand that if you’re earning an income from something like a shoe-shining station you have to attract your own business but it’s not that he’s harassing people, he’s genuinely funny and makes you want to stop and talk to him. I’ve watched him give hugs and kisses on the cheek to flight attendants he knew, greet a man that I assume often travels here and ask about his wife by name, and be very helpful directing people. He even doesn’t charge airport employees or women. This is also the only station I’ve ever seen with both seats always filled. It just makes me realize that no matter what your job is or how grumpy people around you may be, you can make a good day out of anything. I hope all of you meet someone like him today, or maybe you are that person, in which case, good for you!

Stay beautiful,

Toto

Beautiful In Your Own Eyes

"In my eyes, I know I look great because I've just decided that I do."

-Lindsey Bell

This phrase seems so simple but it's something that pretty much every person, male or female, struggles with in some form or fashion at a point in their life. I know that I certainly have. It's especially applicable with the amount that younger and younger girls are being exposed to images of what "beautiful" is. One of the hardest lessons for a little girl to learn is that she may never look like the stereotypical female love interest in her favorite movie. I know that we are taking baby steps forward with more plus size models being put in main stream magazines, but we have so much further to go. I recently finished watching Gilmore Girls series for the second time and I was very struck by the fact that they left Melissa McCarthy as the perfect human being that she is. They never once mentioned her weight or shape. She was (spoiler alert) the first to get married in the show and had a beautiful marriage with children. I hope that more shows push for that in their writing. I just want every person to stop striving for a specific size of clothes and instead try to be healthy for their body type. And no matter what you look like, confidence is the most beautiful trait a person can have. 

If want to know more about Lindsey Bell (who is a Youtube vlogger and someone I truly look up to) check her blog at lindseybrooksbell.com 

Stay beautiful in your own way,

Toto 

You do you girl!

A lot of people in my life are struggling with passion and direction right now and it has made me think a lot about the pressures that we all face every day to be "better" and "all that we can be". I think that it is great to work towards a goal. I am a very goal oriented person myself. I'm the type of person that if I don't have a plan then I will make one immediately. I also believe in accepting nothing less than happiness. I think there are a lot of high school and college students who think that if they don't have a perfect college GPA, or even graduate from college they aren't fulfilling their potential. I think that a good percentage of my generation believes that anything besides changing the world is failure because we are told that we are the "lazy generation" and no one wants to labelled as that. The most important thing that anyone who is searching for direction should do is listen to his or herself (I know that sounds weird). But you can't be happy unless you do what makes you happy. That accounting job may make you a lot of money and may give your parents something to brag about, but if it doesn't excite you to get up every morning to go to work then you should reevaluate what you are doing. I'm not saying accounting isn't exciting to anyone, you may be the John Lennon of accounting, you do you. I guarantee that 99.9999% of the time you will like yourself a lot more if you stop listening to what the world around you says you should do and listen to what you want to do. I mean, you're the only one who actually knows. And I just want everyone to be happy!

Stay beautiful,
Toto