Today I am writing to you from beautiful Sunny South Africa.  It is so good to be home and to see my family... this will be my first Christmas at home in seven years and I am treasuring every moment with my loved ones.

I know a lot of you can't even imagine a summer Christmas, but that is what I am used to - sunshine, beaches and barbeques.

Late this afternoon at sunset my mom and I were sitting outside on the patio drinking tea and chatting like old times.  We were talking about many things but one of the topics that came up was self-criticism.

My mother in her infinite wisdom reminded me how hard we can be on ourselves.  We can be so quick to find fault and criticize ourselves, and the truth is that others very seldom see what we see - we are really our own worst critic.

When you look in the mirror there are a myriad of things you can find wrong with your own appearance. I know I do... or I should say - I used to.

I'm always telling you that you should not compare yourself with others because you are your own unique person, but the other big mistake we make is to judge ourselves way too harshly.

You need to be friendly to yourself - go easy on yourself and remember that other people very seldom see the faults and so-called imperfections that you see when you look in the mirror.

You need to start today - right away - when you look in the mirror, to seek out the good and the beautiful things about yourself, no matter how small.  Focus on those, accentuate those and know that others will only notice those.

We get so hung up on our insecurities that we end up hiding behind them, and when you do that, those insecurities come to the forefront for everyone to see. But when you concentrate on and accentuate your good points, and you concentrate on those - that is what others will see - and believe me, you will also feel a whole lot happier!

Stop right now being so hard on yourself, stop being so critical of your own appearance. -  don't get me wrong, you should look after yourself and dress up and eat healthy and make yourself look the best you can... and once you have done that, you can know that you can feel confident.  Your confidence is what others see. That confidence is very attractive and alluring.



So stop being so critical... you are unique and you are special - when you have that attitude, that is exactly what others notice!

The Pizzazz Factor brings out the best in you... when you walk, talk and live with Pizzazz, those little so- called imperfections fade into the background and all others see is your unmistakable confidence, pride and your powerfully magnetic presence.


P.S.  Practice every day in front of the mirror to see the best in yourself.  Make it your goal to pick one attribute in yourself every day - write it down and see your list grow as the weeks go by.  Remind yourself during the day of that list and smile every time you think about it. You are beautiful!