Putting Your Best Face Forward

You have heard the expression, “Putting Your Best Face Forward.” But what does it mean? It means to begin truly seeing the greatness of yourself and the greatness you bring to the world. You need only look at the face you put forward–every smile, frown, or scowl to see a ‘perfect face.’ Your face is the only face like it. No one else has a face the same as yours, not even those who are identical twins have the same face, so you are continually putting your unique face forward.

Your face is the face you chose for this lifetime, just as your body is the body you chose for this life time. Remember that your face and body are unique and that you chose them. Your face is perfect, perfect for you and perfect for the world. Hollywood and New York model standards are for show–sans objective substance. Who determines what is perfect? The marketing gurus for cosmetics or clothing want you to believe there is a ‘perfect look.’ However, their main goal is to entice you to buy their products–assuring you that buying their product will give you the perfect face or body.

There is nothing wrong with makeup, face creams and lotions. They are important to create total body cleanliness and to make you feel you are taking good care of yourself. However, it is important to maintain perspective–you can take good care of yourself with a $20.00 bottle of face cream or lotion–the $50.00 bottle won’t make you look any better or younger even though the advertising is convincing.

The key to having a ‘perfect face’ is looking in the mirror without judgment–look at your wonderful face that has faced the world; faced all the issues and travail head-on; has smiled under the burden of complex feelings; has taken it on the chin when life got tough and has faced every challenge with grace and dignity. That is the ‘perfect face.’

Your beautiful face has endured and expressed all the emotions and feelings that have arisen along your journey. Your face has weathered emotional storms, and endured the test of time. If you have a few wrinkles, bless them; for in those wrinkles are the memories of the ‘wrinkles’ you faced in your life. Give yourself credit for making it through those difficult times. Your face has carried you through to all your victories and success you have set out to accomplish.

Your face changes with time from birth to this moment, right now. Yet your wonderful face contains all the times of your life. Your face automatically erupts into a smile as you remember the ups and downs, and sometimes that smile turns into a faint trace of mirth as you remember the challenges or a grimace as you remember the tough times. Your face is your best expression of your whole life.

Your face reflects the past, the present and the future. Right now, look in the mirror and tell yourself you love your face. Yes, tell yourself you love your face. Consider looking at your face with a new perspective and express gratitude for all you have faced. Remember, it takes fewer face muscles to smile than it does to frown. So, like the song says, “Smile.” Your mirror is your own ‘Candid Camera’–you decide what the punch line will be. You decide what face you will put forward–smile, grimace, mirth, frown, or scowl.

Source by Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD