Amanda Rootsey - Shine From Within: A Teen Girls Guide to Life

Copyright Amanda Rootsey 2018

Published in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au

Published in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com

Published in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk

Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Design by Rhett Nacson

Typeset by Bookhouse, Sydney

Edited by Margie Tubbs

Author Photo by Bayleigh Vedelago

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews without prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice nor prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for physical fitness and good health. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

ISBN: 9781401950972

21 20 19 18 4 3 2 1

1st Australian edition, August 2018

Printed in Australia by McPhersons Printing Group

For Trudi, my little fur baby.
Thank you for your unconditional love and puppy kisses.

And Mum.
Youre pretty amazing.
Thanks for always believing in me.
I love you.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people wont feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. Its not just in some of us; its in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Williamson, spiritual teacher and author

Hi there! Im so excited that you picked up this book. I believe that everything happens for a reason and this book has landed in your hot little hands because it was supposed to.

Maybe youre meant to read this then share it with a girlfriend who needs it. Maybe youre craving a bit of inspo to feel even more awesome within yourself. Maybe youve got a thoughtful person in your life who just knew youd love it. Maybe a creepy person left it on your doorstep. How did they know you were a teen girl and would love this book? #stalkeralert Or maybe the reason isnt clear yet. We just have to be open to receiving.

I want you to realise that you are unique. Important. You might not realise it yet but your life matters. You were born into this world, at this exact moment, into this exact family (yep!), looking exactly the way you do, with the skills and wisdom that you have for a whole bunch of reasons. Those reasons might not seem clear to you yet, and thats the tricky part. But thats also the adventure.

You can do anything with your life and be whoever you want to be. The exciting part about your teen years is that you get to start exploring whats really important to you.

Youll make mistakes, no doubt. Like why didnt anyone tell me that my eyebrows were so bushy when I went to the school formal? The photos dont lie. But hopefully youll learn from them too. Youll grow. Youll learn to forgive others and forgive yourself. Youll fight and make up a bunch of times with your friends. Youll realise that some of those friends arent the best of friends after all, while others will be in your life for twenty or more years to come. Youll succeed and youll fail. Youll play with your hair, fashion and make-up. (Even if youre not into any of that, youll still make a decision to not be into it, which is a statement in itself!) Youll cry so intensely that you might fear youll never be happy again and youll laugh so hard that you cant imagine why tears would fall from those beautiful bright eyes of yours. Youll suffer and feel as though no-one else in the whole wide world could possibly get what youre going through.

And in those moments where it all feels hopeless and youre asking yourself, Is it really all worth it?! you will find the strength within to keep going. I know life is hard sometimes. I know it can seem easier to choose a more destructive option sometimes, rather than trust your gut instincts and take the high road. I know it can seem easier to just go with the crowd. But you can do this. You can do anything. I believe in you. You are more powerful than you realise. You are stronger than you think.

Wouldnt it be great if life was just perfect all the time? Perfect grades, kind brothers and sisters, parents who just say yes to everything, good hair days every single day, sunshine 365 days a year, and maybe a little fairy godmother who floats alongside us each day and grants us wishes! Too much?

Im not a child Amanda, I hear you say. Okay, fair enough. Calm down. Bad stuff does happen though, right? Like your favourite character being killed off a TV show. Or real bad stuff. Like a friend passing away. Illness. Break-ups. It sucks when things arent going exactly to plan. Especially if youre a bit of a control freak, like I used to be. (Now Im totally Zen, just ask my boyfriend. Actually, no dont.)

Heres what happened to me. Not that long ago, I was living what I thought was my dream life as a model in Europe. #fancy #modellyfe

On this particular morning, I woke up full of excitement, got ready, rushed downstairs and out of my apartment with a fleeting goodbye in a mixture of English and Italian (though I dont think it mattered because I was renting a room with an Albanian family and Im not sure if they spoke either language!). I walked along the Arno River in Florence, Italy, stopping at my favourite cafe for a custard-filled croissant and cappuccino, then walked across the famous medieval bridge, the Ponte Vecchio, to the Gucci offices for a casting (which is like an audition for models). But alas, my feet were too big for that particular job! Seriously, the things that you get judged on as a model are ridiculous.

I then headed off to the Salvatore Ferragamo building. (If youve ever been through a fancy international airport youll have seen this high-end fashion brand next to the likes of Chanel and Louis Vuitton but were probably too afraid to walk inside! I still feel like that!) We had a big fashion parade there that day, showing the latest collection for the first time to the head honchos. Models were brought in from Milan to join us and I was pinching myself. An Australian girl, working in Italy, modelling alongside some of the best in the world. Is this real?! I was thinking.