The last few months, Sundays have included a family walk to Starbucks followed by a trip to Dan’s Market. Today was no different.
Kristina, Eva and I walked to Starbucks, had some coffee & a scone, and read a little. Then we made our way over to Dan’s. We filled our basket with dinner food as well as a few items to bake some cupcakes. It wasn’t until we got into line that we noticed the post-it note on the back of the Softasilk Cake Flour box.
Yes. You read that last sentence correctly. There was a post-it note on the back of the flour box.
As you can see on the image on the left, placed on the back of the flour box was a post-it note that read, “Confidence is beauty! Don’t shy away, stand strong and your beauty will shine!” Below the inspirational words was a URL – operationbeautiful.com.
As you can imagine, Kristina and I were intrigued. A random post-it note on the back of a flour box. But was it really random? As curious as we both were, we had a feeling that it was not all that random. When we returned home, we immediately went to the website, Operation Beautiful.
For the next 20 minutes, we read blog posts, watched videos, and learned about the mission of Operation Beautiful. What an amazing campaign. Operation Beautiful was started a little over a year ago by 28 year-old Caitlin, from Charlotte, NC.
According to the website, the goal of the blog (and the campaign for that matter) is to:
…end negative self-talk or “Fat Talk.” If this little blog only does one productive thing, I hope it helps readers realize how truly toxic negative self-talk is — it hurts you emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
Caitlin also writes that she began Operation Beautiful because
…I am dedicated to ending negative self-talk in girls, woman, and men. Through Operation Beautiful, I hope we can all encourage a positive body image in ourselves and others. I truly believe that your beauty comes from the inside, and your unique qualities that make you YOU should be valued and celebrated.
How You Can Help
I think of Operation Beautiful as a bit of “pay it forward.” Kristina and I discovered this post-it note in a grocery store in Salt Lake City. Over the next few days, we will also randomly drop a post-it note somewhere around town for someone to discover. How can you help? Below are a few ways:
- Go to the website and educate yourself about Operation Beautiful. Watch the videos and read the blog posts.
- Say hello to Caitlin – send her an email, follow her on Twitter (@BeautifulNotes), and post a tweet using #OperationBeautiful hashtag.
- Participate: Send in your note – details here.
- Share. Share. Share. Write a blog post, tell a friend, tweet (see #2), post a video, etc.
Thanks Caitlin and Operation Beautiful for inspiring Kristina and me on a Sunday afternoon.
DJ Waldow
@djwaldow
