Dear Friend,

I have recently become aware of an interesting phenomenon - many of us apologize all the time. It might be an apology where you actually say "I'm Sorry", but it might be much more subtle. It is a way that we silently apologize for who we are, as if we are somehow flawed and need to apologize for taking up space.

Now stay with me here a second. This is a subtle concept, but it has profound implications for your life. Let me explain.  Do you:

• Have an ability to sense how other people are feeling?
  


• Do you generally like to be a nice person?
  


• Do you want to make the world a better place?
  


• Do you want people to like you?
  


• Do you like to promote peace?
  


• Do you know, deep down, that you have a deep capacity to love?
  


• Do you experience compassion and empathy for others?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you probably have a tendency to apologize without even knowing it.  This week's article is all about becoming aware of our "silent" apologies, and taking a look at what's behind them.

Peace, Love, and Beauty,

Sarah Maria

Stop Apologizing and Start Living

You want to make people feel good; you want to be a good person; you want to spread love instead of hatred. You don't want to be selfish, or offend, or cause any trouble. You don't want to disappoint, or let people down. Your wonderful intentions slowly translate into habitual apologizing.

• Since you don't want to offend, you apologize for anything you do that might aggravate someone else.
  


• Since you want to help, you apologize for any way that you might disappoint.
  


• Since you want to be kind, you apologize for anything that might be perceived as unkind.
  


• Since you sense how other people feel, you apologize for anything that might upset them.
  


• Since you don't want to seem selfish, you apologize for your success.

This trait is ubiquitous when it comes to body image and weight. The way we relate to our bodies can become a walking apology.

Here is what the silent apology sounds like:

"I am overweight - I am sorry for taking up space."
"I need to lose weight - I am sorry I have failed."
"I need to starve myself so I don't take up too much space."
"I am sorry I ate too much or too little"

Body image is just one way that this tendency shows up - there are many other ways as well:

• You might apologize for failing but apologize for your success as well.
• You might apologize to your friends, your children, or your spouse.
• You might apologize for being ill and yet apologize for your health as well.

It is beautiful to want to make the world a better place, to help others feel good, to love and to offer empathy. But like anything, there can be a downside.

Here is the key:  Know when to draw your boundaries, and be willing to do it.  When you live in this state of constant apologizing it can lead to both self-destructive behavior and allow for others to take advantage of you.

Learn to differentiate between a healthy apology and the type of apologizing that implies something is wrong with you, or that you are not important. Begin to notice how you feel - does the apology make you feel better by itself, or is the apology really saying, "Please love me and tell me I am okay and that I can feel good about myself." If it is the latter, know that you might need to draw some boundaries and affirm your own lovability to yourself.

Remember, I am not talking about apologizing where you know you have done something mean or dishonest or offensive and it is simply appropriate to apologize. No, I am talking about the apology that comes from believing that something is wrong with you, that you aren't deserving of the very best that life has to offer. It is the apology that allows other people to take advantage of you and prevents you from experiencing yourself as truly beautiful, loveable, and worthwhile.

Trust yourself. Know you are deserving of love, abundance, and grace.  Stop apologizing; start living, and discover that you can create a life that you love. Notice today how you apologize, and remind yourself that you can be loving and kind while also drawing the boundaries that will keep you safe, secure, and protected.

I always love to hear your thoughts. Please post any comments or thoughts to my blog: www.breakfreebeauty.com/blog.

On another note, I want to let you know about a great no-cost resource:

A friend of mine, Carol Ritberger, is a medical intuitive who has her own radio show. She has an amazing ability to read people's auras, and her gift came from her own near-death experience. Carol has been kind enough to endorse my work. Her radio show airs online from 10 am - 11 am PST.
Check it out at: http://www.contacttalkradio.com/hosts/carolritberger.html
It doesn't cost a dime and can give you a new way to look at yourself and your body.

To your continued healing and success.

Sarah Maria is a body-image expert and teacher who can help you discover the beauty that you already are so that you can create a body and a life that you truly love. Her first book, Love Your Body, Love Your Life, is being published by Adams Media and will be available for purchase in November '09. She combines ancient spiritual wisdom with modern science and shows you, step-by-step, how to pacify your mind, heal your heart, befriend your body, and transform your life.

She has studied with the leading experts in health, spirituality, personal development, and success, including Deepak Chopra, physician Dr. David Simon (co-founder of the Chopra Center for Well-being in Carlsbad, CA), Dr. Wayne Dyer, Jack Canfield, renowned Ayurvedic physician Vasant Lad, and many others. She is a lover of eastern philosophy and spiritual wisdom and passionately shares these teachings that have so transformed her own life.

Before founding Break Free Beauty, Sarah Maria received her law degree from Stanford University and her Master's in International Affairs from Columbia University in NYC. She has lived and traveled throughout Latin America, and has also visited many countries around the world. Her greatest passion is helping people discover the beauty and the greatness that resides inside so they can live from this place of grandeur, transforming themselves and the world.