Motivational Products and Services
Do You Measure Up?
By Kathy Sanborn
Jul 14, 2007

This past weekend, I happened to be watching a dog competition on a cable network. How cute the dogs were, I thought, as they pranced around for the judges. Their teeth were inspected, and their shapes were matched against the ideal body type for those of their breed. Now, I have nothing negative to say about dog shows—I know that the handlers and owners put in a lot of time to make sure their pets are in competitive condition. But the thought crossed my mind that a dog show is very similar to what we, as humans, have to go through every time we go out into society. We are judged, not by the beautiful spirit we may have inside of us, but by the attributes we exhibit on the outside.

We women, in particular, are encouraged to feel lacking if our bodies are not model-thin and toned from spending hours in the gym. It’s very clever of the advertising people, really—they try to make you feel as if you’re not good enough the way you are, so you’ll spend your dollars attempting to perfect yourself in their image! Never mind that many of the models portraying perfection have had plastic surgery, and have had their photos altered by computers in an attempt to sell even more magazines. Still, we try to measure up!

Those of you who’ve experienced the stress of a job interview are well aware of the importance of your appearance in getting that job. No time is more critical than those first moments of the interview, when you want to appear attractive, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable. The right clothes, the right smile, the right physique—all of it matters to the person who makes the decision to hire you.

It behooves you to look the part of the polished professional throughout your career, in order to make sure that clients and coworkers take you seriously on the job. But the true measure of your worth is all about what’s on the inside—forget about the outer, superficial package. Are you honest, trustworthy, and hard working? Do you care about other people? Is your ego subdued enough so that it’s not “all about you”? Do you think for yourself, or do you let the masses, advertisers, and media make your decisions for you?

These are good questions to ask yourself about the way you operate in the world. Your true value as a human being is in how best you can serve others, and not about how small your waist is, or how fancy your clothes. If you follow a path of service, it doesn’t matter which career you choose in order to share your talents—there’s a job that only you can do, and a career that suits your particular skills to a tee. And it doesn’t have to matter that you may not be judged top dog of the show.

© 2001 Kathy Sanborn