I read this quote this weekend in Reader’s Digest from Michael J. Fox’s new book A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future. I think it sums up the value of focusing on what you do want and the value of positive thinking but not in an unrealistic airy-fairy way.

“Don’t spend a lot of time imagining worst-case scenario. It rarely goes down as you imagine it will, and if by some fluke it does, you will have lived it twice.”

- Michael J. Fox

Was reading this interview in the Voice Online with Whoopi Goldberg.  Love this quote:

“My mum prepared me for that when I was a child. She taught me that if I was going to be comfortable in my own skin, I would have to be myself and that wouldn’t always please everybody. “So I was prepared for that. And I always wanted to be myself, because I never wanted to follow anybody. If you follow people, they can lead you off the cliff. So I like to lead, or walk alongside – but never follow.”

What’s most true here is that when you take the bold step to be comfortable in your own skin, it is very true, there will be people out there that don’t like you for it.  You know what? That is totally OK… you’re not on the planet to please everybody but to live your life fully and with meaning.

I love finding people talking about being comfortable in their own skin both online and off. Most recently I stumbled across some thoughts on the matter by Michelle Pfeiffer from the sites Michelle Pheiffer, The Face and OMG. While I am not much of a follower of celebrities, we all know that when celebrities have something to say people tend to lean in and listen a little closer. Not to mention many (not all of course) celebrities are simply successful people who happened to be successful in a field that gave them celebrity status. After all we all know celebrities from our own little niches of interest that no one else would have even heard of.

So, here’s what Michelle had to say about it in InStyle Magazine:

“I’m not saying I’m sexier to other people. But part of feeling sexy is feeling comfortable in your own skin, and less inhibited, and that goes along with getting older. Feeling more confident, dropping a lot of the BS.”

I have to say, though, that you don’t have to wait until you’re some magical age before feeling comfortable in your own skin. Heavens that would just set people up for more waiting until some “someday” or external circumstance to happen before feeling confident on the inside. So I disagree with it just being a part of getting older. There’s far more to it than that. I know plenty of “older” people who aren’t even close to feeling comfortable in their own skin. What I do agree with though is that confidence and dropping the BS is part of the recipe for success… When I work with clients we spend a lot of time building confidence and cutting through the crap to get at the real source of the matter.

In the past I would catch these little snippets from the news and just collect them…I finally decided I was insane — it was time to start sharing them on the blog. Great food for thought for all and isn’t it always fun to see what others are saying? Stay tuned for future news flashes when I find these snippets.