Shoulders Back

As a teenager, I had a pretty negative self image.  I had really bad acne, and it seemed no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t eliminate it.  If I tried too hard, I would just rub my skin raw, which looked even worse.  As a result, I felt pretty small.  I used to act pretty small, too.  I am sure I slouched around and dragged my feet quite a bit through junior high school and high school.  I am not sure if he was just passing this down from his own father, or if he came up with it himself, but it wasn’t later till I truly appreciated my dad for saying, “Shoulders back!”  The mere act of pulling my shoulders up and straightening out my spine would bring a surge of positive energy into my body.  It became something that I caught myself doing, and I would always hear my dad’s voice – “Shoulders back!”  It certainly benefited me in springboard diving, where good posture is a necessity.

 ”Lift your feet,” was the other one from my dad.  I would drag my feet as if I was carrying a burden on my shoulders.  You could hear the shuffle of my soles.  I wore out more than a couple of pairs of shoes simply by dragging my feet as I walked.

Check your posture.  What does it communicate when you walk into a room?  Slouching shows lack of confidence.  Dragging your feet looks like you are carrying a heavy burden.  Maybe it is a heavy emotional toll.  Just like smiling, checking your posture and carrying yourself right will change your image of yourself.  It will also change others image of you. 

Shoulders back, and lift your feet.  You are carrying a much lighter load than you think you are.  Act like it for today. ;-)

Namaste