Lisa Clark - Think Pink

If you’re fed up with your current dull and dreary existence, put on a pair of pink tinted shades and see the world through the eyes of the feisty, fun, fearless and fabulous…Lola Love.

That’s me, by the way! I will offer you exclusive access to the most exciting, full-to-the-brim world of opportunities and possibilities, a place where kooky chicks rule and boys are all beautiful and without complication…Mmm, let’s pause on that thought for a moment.

A place where you can crown yourself princess and wear your tiara with your pyjamas and most importantly, a place where you can shine because, let’s face it, you are a star!

Whether it’s making friends, passing exams, getting an allowance increase or bagging a buff boy – being a feisty, fun, fearless and fabulous princess of pink world is a sure-fire way of getting what you want out of life and, once you’ve discovered the fantastic things that can happen when you Think Pink, it will quite possibly be the most exciting, sunshine-splashed experience…ever!

Before seeing the world through pink-tinted shades there were some days when I just didn’t feel like the star-shaped sparkle girl that I actually am. I’d look in the mirror and become queen of the putdowns, I just couldn’t see past the spot on my chin or the size of my bum. This would be an instant excuse for me to hide under the duvet indefinitely with a family size pack of biscuits wallowing in bad thoughts and self-doubt.

What you see when you look in the mirror depends on whether you’re a self-esteem queen or an esteem-lacking Lucy. Self-esteem is an essential item in the Think Pink vanity case. If you have it, you like yourself, you’re confident and you’re satisfied with being you.

Unfortunately, loving and accepting yourself is not something you can buy in a tub at the cosmetics counter (oh my stars, how fabulous would that be?) and for some it takes much longer to discover than others, but Think Pink and you will be well on your way to becoming your very own dream girl.

Are you happy being you or are you in need of a bravado boost?

When you walk past a mirror, do you:

a. turn and run in the opposite direction

b. take a good look and smile at what you see

Do you believe you can do whatever you want to in life?

a. it’s nice to dream but they never come true, so no

b. with a lot of hard work you can do anything, so yes

You’re meeting your Pink Ladies for a slice of chocolate cake, but when you arrive they go quiet, do you:

a. feel awkward. They could have been talking about you

b. ask them what the latest gossip is!

When the cute boy behind the counter winks at you, do you

a. look behind you to see who he’s winking at

b. smile your sweetest smile back at him

When you think about how you look, do you:

a. feel uncomfortable and wrong

b. feel happy and content

You’re an amazing person but sometimes you need a reminder of just how cool you are. A quick way to boost your bravado is to try little confidence tricks like smiling at people and keeping eye contact. Try to set yourself some cool challenges like getting involved in a new activity, your confidence will grow and you’ll have a great time too!

You’re a self-esteem queen! You seem to be blush-free, in control and sorted, you lucky lady. You don’t let anything hold you back and are positively filled-to-the-brim with self-belief – keep it up, chica!

I used to have the hugest hang up about my weight. This was due to an over-zealous stick-thin cousin who thought it would be mucho fun to laugh at my chubby tummy at every available opportunity. I remember feeling my curvaceous contours and despising them. They made me want to look like her, instead of being happy with being me. I’d feel so inadequate and unnecessary that I’d think nothing of eating five doughnuts in a row and telling myself how grimsville I was.

Most of us put ourselves down because of the unhelpful messages that have been fired in our direction by the ‘Negative Ninas’ of the world – teachers giving us a low mark, our so-called mate not picking us for the hockey team, parents saying we’ve done something wrong – the list is endless.

These nasty-rude comments and actions can knock our confidence faster than a ten-pin bowler, the trick is to not let this happen. Living the rest of your life according to what other people think of you is going to be a serious waste of your time and energy and will stop you from doing all the amazingly fantastic things you are destined to do. Let any negative vibes bounce off your sparkly-gorgeous tiara and, instead, lose yourself in thoughts of how fantastically fabulous you are because when you ignore others’ mistreatment of your gorgeous self, the world will become a decidedly deeper shade of pink!

Think about how great you feel when you put on your all time favourite outfit with those to-die-for pair of atomic-pink kitten heeled mules. You feel like you can take on the world, right? That’s because you’ve wrapped yourself up in a prize-winning package that makes you feel sparkly-gorgeous fantastic. Now imagine feeling like that every day…well, you can! You see, when you feel that great about yourself, you automatically stand taller, smile more and ooze confidence – this instantly makes you decidedly more attractive and a whole lot of fun to be around. Boost your bravado on a regular basis by:

* Making a statement

Start by looking in the mirror. Smile, grab your hairbrush and get that all-important dose of self-esteem pumping by belting out Christina’s ‘Beautiful’ loud enough to shatter glass. Alternatively, choose a positive statement that will have the same feel-good factor and write it down. Stick a copy on your mirror, in your school book, make it a screensaver on your computer, anywhere that you look on a regular basis, as this will become a constant reminder of how cool you really are!

* Be good to yourself

Don’t beat yourself up because you don’t look like someone in the pages of a magazine (I’ll let you into an industry secret – they’re all airbrushed by techno peeps on computers anyway!) Instead, love the things that make you the feisty, fun, fearless and fabulous YOU.

* Celebrate you

Here in Pink World anything from passing an exam to tidying your room deserves celebrating, so reward yourself with a treat of your choice. Naturally, mine would be chocolate!

I surprised everyone, not to mention myself, when I unleashed the real me onto the world. People had always thought of Lola Love as the ‘weird writing girl.’ They had given me a label that looked set to stick. Now don’t get me wrong, I was a little bit weird in a cool and kooky way and I did, and still do, love to write. But there was a whole lot more to me than just those things and I wanted the world to know about them. Except, I was too scared.