Food and Fashion Redemptions

By Paula Renaye

I’ve become a fan of the Food Network show, Restaurant Impossible. A design team gives a failing restaurant a physical facelift and Chef Robert Irvine gives the owners and staff a big dose of tough love reality. The Learning Channel’s What Not to Wear takes a similar approach with women and their appearance. Both shows end up at the same self improvement bottom line—changing what’s going on between the ears first.

If you’re a regular reader of my posts here or on my own blog, it’s pretty easy to see why I’m drawn to these programs. They take the approach that I do—no beating around the bush to keep from hurting feelings, just tell it like it is and then get busy fixing it.

It isn’t an easy path to take. The resistance to change and people clinging to their old ways even when those clearly aren’t working is stunning, and there’s only one way to deal with it—the hard way.

These shows are basically intervention boot camps and the hosts have to produce results fast. They get tough quick and hold their clients’ noses to the reality mirror, both figuratively and literally. Their excuses, justifications and rationalizations might have worked to keep friends and family at bay, but the pros slice and dice those in the first few minutes.

Truth hurts and there are always tears in the beginning—and anger. It’s initially directed outward to the messenger, but eventually most people realize they are really angry at themselves.

In the shows I’ve seen—fashion or food failures—there were plenty of warning signs that things weren’t okay long before things got to the low point we find them in. The financial, career and personal red flags were everywhere, but they couldn’t—wouldn’t—see them.

Whatever the reasons—pride, ignorance, fear, etc.—it was easier to keep doing what they’d been doing and hope things would get better rather than admit they’d gotten off track and needed to make major changes.

By the time the intervention teams arrived on the scene, most of the people had very little self-worth, self-esteem and self-respect. Having to own their choices in creating their situations was tough and many argued to keep their limitations. Ultimately, they couldn’t deny the truth, which led to the next step of seeing everything that symbolized who they were—their wardrobe or life’s work—literally destroyed before their eyes.

You don’t have to wait until you’re on the brink of financial ruin or a personal meltdown to start cleaning off your rose-colored glasses and start your own redemption. When you feel that flicker that tells you things aren’t right, don’t push it aside, embrace it. Let yourself feel the fear that you’ve kept at bay then open the door on the truth and let the light in. It’s the only way out.

Here’s the great part. The more you’re willing to see, hear and speak truth, the easier and more comfortable it gets. In fact, before long, your outer world will start reflecting all those inner changes, and you’ll be the one telling others how to claim their power and find the joy you have.

Paula Renaye is a life transformation speaker, certified professional coach and author of the multi-award-winning Hardline Self Help Handbook. To get a free personal development report and special audio recording, visit http://hardlineselfhelp.com