Everything about you is amazing.

What if there was nothing wrong with you?

This idea has been sitting with me frequently. How much could we accomplish in the world if we took everything we are trying to “fix” about ourselves, everything we beat ourselves up over, everything we hate and accepted it?

Let’s take it a step further: What if we celebrated everything about ourselves?

Let’s take me: I have a big butt and big thighs. My skin isn’t perfect and my 34 years are revealed by some pretty distinctive under eye circles. I am picky and impatient. I am stubborn.

And all of that is ok, and recently I have been challenging myself to say that all of that is awesome. My legs are strong and I can teach 10 dance classes a day. I am smart and caring and you can see that in my eyes. I’ll go to the ends of the earth to make something good for my community.

I have heard this idea called “radical self-acceptance,” but I would encourage all of us to change it to “radical celebration of self.” Celebrating and honoring everything that is you and acknowledging that all of it is amazing.

Recently I have been pondering these concepts and discussing it with friends and have come across two strong objections:

“Well, that’s good for people like us, who are always working on themselves, but it’s not for those people. You know, the ones who are so into themselves.”

Well, I want to be clear that I am not preaching the idea of self-absorption. I believe that the more I accept and celebrate myself, the more of myself I have to give to the world. I’d also challenge all of us to be compassionate to those people in that they are probably suffering from a fair amount of insecurity.

“I don’t know, Lisa. How can get thinner (richer, smarter, more evolved, etc) if I just give in and say everything is fine?”

I understand this. In fact, it is the idea that I wrestle with all the time. However, I found that I have seen more change in myself since starting to practice this idea than ever before. If we start to love everything about us, we will nourish and encourage everything about ourselves.

So what do you think? How will you celebrate your amazing self today?

Lisa Zahiya is an award winning bellydance and hip hop performer, instructor and dance studio owner. Lisa  has her home base at Studio Zahiya in quirky Asheville, NC and travels nationally and internationally teaching and performing.

Winner of the 2008 Bellydancer of the Univer competition, Lisa’s unique style and fusion dance forms has gained her recognition in the International bellydance community. She travels, teaching workshops, performing and developing curriculum. She has developed a fusion dance curriculum for a dance school in San Raphael, France. She serves as guest faculty at Sahara Dance in Washington, DC.

At home, she is faculty at the University of North Carolina, Asheville, where she teaches bhangra, hip hop and bellydance. She also served as an Ambassador for Lululemon Athletica, Asheville.

She also loves shoes, gluten free cupcakes, silly dances and being an advocate for women and children.

Find out more about her at www.lisazahiya.com