Tag: Confidence

Beyond Beauty – The Depth of Confidence

Beauty is skin deep, but confidence penetrates to the heart.

Sean Mitchell

Sean Mitchell
Advisor, Operations & Branding

Hello everyone!

It’s been a while since I last wrote a post. A lot has happened in my life lately, but that’s for another time.

The purpose of my posts centres around the dynamics of confidence and society’s unfettered obsession with appearance and beauty, largely because the same dynamics affected me as a child right up until three years ago, in 2014, when I announced the end of a depression that lasted for over 25 years of my life with almost near-fatal parameters.

My daughter had her ballet recital early June. She had to do five sessions over a three-day period. For a five-year-old, that’s no easy feat. But she did it nonetheless and I’m extraordinarily proud of her.

During the routine, one thing of note was the smiles seemingly frozen on the faces of the ballet dancers in particular. They’re taught to smile to the audience regardless of personal circumstances, creating a ruse of plausible contentment and confidence on the surface.

We were told halfway through the recital that my daughter was selected to present flowers to one of her teachers, and unbeknownst to us she was also to be given a medal for outstanding potential. Me and the missus were floored but incredibly honoured.

On her last show, the closing ceremony was underway and my daughter went on stage to present the flowers. I waited backstage and paced back and forth like any nervous parent would do, accolades being received notwithstanding.

While I was waiting I saw one of the dancers walk by. She had a smile on her face, but she seemed nervous. It got me thinking. We expect people who perform in public to constantly maintain a happy, smiley demeanour. But underneath it all, are they really?

On the surface she looked lavishly beautiful, broadcasting an air of confidence that only few could ever imagine to have. Yet I got thinking about how her internal sentiments must have been acting. She could have been extraordinarily nervous, or suffering through a well-hidden anxiety attack waiting to happen but kept it concealed pretty well.

What we broadcast on the surface is and can be completely different from what’s underneath. We only need to look at Robin Williams as an example of someone who practices contentment and happiness on their face but does not dare let the internal quagmire reveal itself in any fashion or form. And that’s sad.

A lot of people tend to focus too much on what’s visually beautiful rather than the whole picture. People with confidence will tell you that beauty is only skin deep, but confidence goes straight to the heart.

Beauty aids do help, absolutely, but we have to live with what’s underneath. If you aren’t happy with what you see in the mirror before the mascara or blush is applied, then how can you dare to feel comfortable with knowing you’re essentially displaying a façade of fake beauty?

A person’s true beauty goes beyond what’s on their face. It has to resonate in the heart and work itself outward.

That, my friends, is the best kind of beauty.

à la prochaine!

— Sean

Beyond Beauty




What is beauty?

Is it what we see on the surface, or is it what truly lies inside?

That question has been asked for millennia and many are still unsure of the answer. Whatever that is, there’s no doubt that we all strive to be beautiful one way or another.

Some prefer to lather up themselves with umpteen tonnes of make-up to make up for a lack of it naturally, or enhance specific body parts that some deity supposedly forgot to invest in during their creation, while some tend to get by or even excel without it.

It’s a topic that often leads to a lot of discussion about what is considered beautiful—almost like an international panel to determine a clear-cut definition that applies to no one.

Thing is, beauty doesn’t have a resounding, concrete definition. What’s beautiful to one person may be a total turn-off for another; some are beautiful on the surface, some are beautiful in spirit, and some can manage both quite flawlessly.
That’s where Cathy comes in.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Cathy over the last eight or so years and she never fails to amaze me with how beautiful her spirit and character is. She’s constantly dolled up and smiling regardless of condition.

Cathy is owner of Golden Touch Medispa, based in Toronto’s lavish Yorkville neighbourhood, and comes from a rich background in cosmetology and hair design. Her knack for enhancing beauty naturally is uncanny, unlike those I have ever seen. No, this is not a Dove love-in but rather an individual who finds the best in each and every person no matter their circumstances.

A mother of four, Cathy came to Canada from Iran when she was young and opened a few successful ventures, which she sold off or got out of completely from bad partnership dynamics. When I met her, she was in transition between opportunities. At the time, was working part-time as an independent aesthetician in College Park.

I remember the phone call I got one cold morning: “Sean, do you design websites? I saw your card here.”
I liked her so much I invested in her; my time, expertise, and drive to design many websites that evolved over the years we’ve been working together. Now, that seems rather abrupt to simply jump into something like that with virtually no plan or history other than a rough impression of what she offers. But it’s her practice, her dedication to her work that enticed me to go along for the ride.

She’s helped me in so many ways, mainly with my hair styles. Once I gave Cathy an open canvas on how to design a new hair style for me. My head was a white space. “Go nuts!” I said.

Luckily the fates were on my side. I walked out of there and suddenly, like a quick ethereal zap, people started noticing me. It was like I suddenly phased in to reality and everyone took notice.

She eventually moved out of the College Park location and migrated up to 97 Scollard Street in the lesser-known area of Yorkville. And it’s benefited her; going from an unknown aesthetician to a hair designer cosmetologist who’s sought after by many across the Greater Toronto Area, she’s has helped clients far and wide realize their inner natural beauty through various and compassionate means.

But tooting-my-horn efforts aside, it’s Cathy’s expertise that sets her apart in and above her media presence. Let me explain.

She helped refine my image with stylish hair designs that I never even thought possible with my hair. Now I had fantasized about having some freaky, off-the-wall style that would ultimately cause heads to turn and thus, in turn, make me feel beautiful.

Without going into too much detail, I was afflicted with confidence issues for a good portion of my life and felt like an outlier when it came to the attractiveness side of life. My appointment with Cathy calmed my worried soul and she pulled off a sleek hair design that was far more different than what I was expecting while simultaneously being in line with my deepest desires. People started noticing me when I thought they didn’t before. It had THAT much impact. It pretty much changed my entire look. Just from a simple haircut.

Her work after that established a benchmark on which I base all other hair services I have or will receive should it not be with her for whatever reason, and it did help increase my confidence as I noticed more people “taking notice” of me as I walked around in public or among my friends.

Aside from a God-given talent, the beautiful thing, if I may use that term, is Cathy’s dedication, the spirit and drive to help people find their inner beauty regardless of what those particular goals are. She observes, probes, and listens to whoever she is talking to, letting her personality calmly indicate to the inquiring individual that she’s there to help improve their own beauty with natural means and that everything is going to be okay.

It’s quite impressive to see such a caring, dedicated and motivated practitioner who actually lives up to what she professes. There have been instances where some people have given Cathy a hard time and I think it’s unfair that she’s been treated that way even though she does her best to help.

What’s also interesting is she’s branched out to include a more cosmetic feel to her practice, investing and offering top-notch quality laser services for handling all sorts of body therapy needs. How that came to be is another story altogether (which involves me picking her up and driving to Kitchener where I used my savvy negotiating skills to get a great deal on the equipment and driving back all within the same afternoon).

So what is beauty exactly? Beauty is the richness of character; sometimes it shows wonderfully on the surface; other times it hides and needs help to shine through. Whichever it is for you, know that you are beautiful both inside and out.

And if you’re having trouble discovering it, perhaps Cathy can help you out.

Sean Mitchell, CHRL, is a certified human resources professional and wannabe venture capitalist. Sean is also owner of Blacktalon Enterprise Solutions, loves business and making his clients become the best they can be.

Beauty Beyond is a regular featured blog on goldentouchmedispa.com, presently published weekly.