| Focus December 1, 2006
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Candi Gogar has a look
that's as unique and distinctive as her name.
(photo Aug. 2005 by Doug Schneider) |
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Just Be Yourself
It was the spring of 2005 and I was backstage at a
model-search competition meeting the competitors. It was there that I noticed one
participant off to the side, putting the final touches on her preparations. She stood out
because she was one of the most beautiful women in the contest, and it was apparent from
over 30 feet away. Her name was Candi Gogar, and although Candi didn’t place in the
top spots at that event, her stunning appearance left an impression on me and many others
in attendance, which is why she’s our Cover Girl this month, and the focus of this
article.
It’s impossible to describe in just a few words what
makes someone’s appearance special, but in Candi’s case I can point out one key
thing that certainly helps: she’s unique, right down to her name, and she let it
shine through that day.
Having a unique appearance makes you distinctive, and
it’s what can set you apart and get you noticed in a crowd, particularly at
competitions. However, day in and day out I see women struggling at the gym because they
are not content with being themselves. They’re trying to look like someone else
– usually someone they have seen in a magazine, perhaps a figure professional or
fitness model. So, they’re using the machines and free weights, and they’re
often mimicking the exercises and routines of the women they read about, thinking if they
do all this, perhaps, one day they’ll look in the mirror and they won’t see
themselves – instead, they’ll see the person that they’ve been looking at
in the magazines. Here’s news for you: It just won’t happen. And so you
won’t feel like you’re the only one: It’s the same reality for everyone.
Quite simply, you can’t make yourself look like
someone else no matter how hard you try, particularly with exercise. And things like
surgery won’t do it either. Just look around at people on the street and notice how
different everyone is – you won’t find two people who are exactly alike, even
when it’s obvious that someone is trying to look like someone else. Even identical
twins are always a little bit different. And if you still don’t believe me, take a
look at your favorite fitness models and figure competitors featured throughout magazines
or here on SeriousAboutFitness.com – none of them looks the same, although many of
them do the exact same exercises in the gym every day. Similar is about as close as anyone
can get. But similar is nowhere near to being the same.
But who wants to be the same anyway? We’re designed by
nature to be different, and I believe that’s a good thing. It would all be so boring
otherwise. So don’t fight it, and don’t try to be someone else. Instead, embrace
this fact and use exercise and good nutritional practices to bring your best
features out and showcase what you’re about. Furthermore, doing so will more
than likely help you get ahead if you’re the type of person who’s interested in
promoting yourself and your achievements. After all, when we’re out searching for
women to profile and feature on our pages here, we’re not looking for someone who is
like someone else. What we’re looking for is someone who stands out in the crowd the
way Candi did at that competition. So, just be yourself, and maybe next time it will be
you whom we notice somewhere and feature on our front cover.
...Doug Schneider
das@seriousaboutfitness.com |
