Be your own star
Celebrate the best version of yourself
As I watched the latest awards ceremonies, featuring a red carpet full of impossibly sparkly celebrities in glittering gowns, I was enthralled by the fake perfection of it all.
Flawless, wrinkle-free skin, hair (and teeth) that shone so brightly they dazzled the cameras. Stars who have looked the same for 30 years while the rest of us battle with this human thing called ageing.
It’s a curious fact that these men and women are held up by many magazines as the epitome of human achievement (and, ironically, lampooned the next week).
They’re rich, they’re impossibly good looking – in fact, very few resemble mere mortals – and, in their spare time, they work out with a personal trainer, have colonics or drink supergreen juices, visit children’s charities or save animals.
Hey, they’re Christie Brinkley looking fabulous on the cover of a sports magazine, in a barely there swimsuit, at 63 years of age. Yes, 63.
How can the rest of us possibly hope to compete?
But, peel back the gloss a bit, and you’ll find that being a Hollywood star isn’t really all it’s cracked up to be. When you’re put on a pedestal, there’s further to fall. And, what we forget is, just like us, these people are human and have their own challenges to overcome.
Today we are desperately short of heroes and heroines, perhaps the reason why we worship Hollywood stars.
Villains, we have plenty of, including criminals, politicians and everyday people behaving badly, increasingly on social media – trolls and racists – and on the global stage.
But we all need heroes, and role models, so we can be one ourselves.
Sometimes just doing the day makes you a hero. Life can be hard, for everyone, but especially those of us not gifted with incredible wealth or a life of ease. But it can also be wonderful.
So who are our real heroes? What about those who risk their lives to help others in war zones or poverty, the thousands of women who stood up against US President Donald Trump’s misogyny when he was elected, the volunteers who bring comfort to the sick or elderly, or indeed, every single person who survived the recent floods in Lismore and Mullumbimby and who helped clean up, cook or who donated goods.
Real heroes are everyone of us on our best days.
So, if you’re looking for role models, look around, take action, speak up, stand up, and become one yourself.
In a world where there is plenty of good – and evil – we don’t need plastic surgery, expensive clothes, or personal chefs to be a person of value.
We are valuable because we are the best version of ourselves. Stay open to all the miracles and the abundances the universe has to offer. Expand your heart and your mind.
Helen Hawkes and Shirley Hughes run Life Makeovers, a counselling and coaching service that helps women get more energy, realise their goals and deal with stress.
Phone 0403 805 001 or 0434 271 745.