Be your own cheerleader

https://www.facebook.com/lornaelizabethartistBe your own cheerleader

"You will never speak to anyone more than you speak to yourself"

In this blog, I am going to share a vulnerable moment with you.

The photo above is me. When I first saw this photo of me, I freaked out. It was from a recent photoshoot I had done with an amazing local photographer called Lorna who specialises in female empowerment shoots. We have worked together a few times over the past couple of years because she is incredible at what she does.

For context, I have never really liked having my photograph taken. I love taking photos of others and have literally thousands of photos, but I have had to work hard on my confidence to be the other side of the camera. I met Lorna in July 2021 when Rob and I were about to celebrate our 5Oth birthdays and she did the most beautiful shoot for us on the edge of Ennerdale Water, a local beauty spot.

I was so thrilled with the photos of me and Rob that I decided to be brave and do a solo shoot with Lorna later that summer. It was in local field and as always, we had a lot of fun. Lorna has this amazing wardrobe of dresses that you can play with, and it honestly feels like you a child again experimenting with an endless dressing up box. She knows how to pose you so that you look and feel phenomenal, and she has a beautiful gift of seeing the beauty in you that you might not yet see in yourself.

Anyway, back to the story…

We had a great time doing the shoot talking about all things female empowerment and confidence. We focused on a boho theme and at the end, we went for a more formal dress. After we completed the photoshoot, I headed home.

Later that evening, I was flicking on Facebook and my heart stopped in my chest. Lorna had posted this photograph from our shoot on her social media page for the world to see. It is a brilliant photo that showcases her skills beautifully and I gave her permission to use the photos in her marketing. The problem was not the photo, it was how I chose to interpret the photo. All I could see was a huge set of boobs. 

I honestly felt my heart stop in my chest. In that moment, I was mortified that this sexy image of me was displayed on social media. As I looked at the photo, all I could see was a ‘rack’ and curves with a head on top. I literally did not know what to do with myself.

I could see that people were commenting on the photo and in that moment, I wanted to hide.

I thought "this is the moment I get trolled".

I thought it was a moment I would never recover from.

Eventually I felt brave enough to look at the comments.

People were seeing things very differently from me.

They saw a woman who looked free.

They saw a woman who was embracing who she is.

They saw beauty and grace where all I could see is boobs and curves.

 It was a turning point for me.

 In that moment I decided to embrace all that I am. I decided that I would no longer be a slave to the number on a set of scales. I have always been curvy, and I have been self-conscious about it. I saw it as an invitation to embrace every bit of who I am, body and soul.

I remembered that I am a cheerleader for women everywhere and that should also include me.

I learned a lot from this experience.

We can choose to look at ourselves from one of two perspectives. We can either be our own worst critic OR we can be our own cheerleader. How many times do you look in the mirror with a very critical eye? I wonder how differently you would feel each day if you looked in the mirror and decided to compliment yourself instead?

We make assumptions about how people will respond to us based on how we feel about ourselves. I assumed that people would look at this photo and see nothing but my chest. In reality, none of the comments were about my figure. All of the comments were about my energy and my sense of joy that was captured so beautifully by Lorna.

The thing I learned the most, was to keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I have done a lot of shoots with Lorna since 2021. It is something I love doing now. Lorna has captured some amazing phots that show all the facets of who I am. I use many of the photos on this website and in my branding.

Our comfort zones might feel safe, but they keep us stuck from learning who we truly are.

With Lorna’s help (through her empowerment shoots), I have come to realise that if I am going to lead a movement of empowered women who have the desire to live their dreams and create extraordinary lives, I can’t play small. I have to step up, be a role model and lead the way. It means I have to be visible.

If I am going to be visible, I might as well do it looking fabulous!

Your call to action

Where do you spend most of your time? Critic or Cheerleader mode?

Try being your own cheerleader for a week and FEEL the difference it makes.

Where might you be playing small right now and how could you be just 1% braver.

 Ps If you live in the Cumbria area (or even if you don’t!) I highly recommend having an empowerment shoot with Lorna. It is an amazing experience, and you will have lifetime memories capturing a moment where you felt amazing! You can find her details HERE.