Did that title catch your attention? We love to say that we believe everyone deserves love, happiness, and success... but do you actually, at the core of your being, believe that to be true?
We are all worthy, regardless of our size and what’s going on in our lives. On paper, we all say we are in alignment with that belief. But the fact is, many people are still skipping events because they feel uncomfortable in their bodies. They are still telling themselves that they don’t deserve love because they are overweight, and they are still holding themselves back because they don’t think they deserve the same experience of joy that slender people have.
Here’s my advice: if you find yourself having a strong emotional reaction to the title of this blog, try these four steps to begin practicing what you preach and really feel worthy of love, happiness, and success... no matter what you look like!
Step 1: What Are You Good At?
Over and over I see my clients struggling to acknowledge themselves and be proud of their accomplishments, so let’s turn the tables on that mentality. Sit yourself down in a quiet room. Play some nice music, or meditate for a few minutes, then write down all the things that you’re good at.
Remember, you can list anything. Maybe you’re great at buying only what you need at the grocery store and sticking to only what is on your grocery list (unlike me, who gets excited by sale items and stocks up on them, when in reality I have 3 of those same items at home already!)
It’s so important that we celebrate every single little joy in our life. Even if it seems small, when we start being proud of every little aspect, every good thing that you do, you’ll realize the overall picture: you’re a pretty freakin’ fantastic person, even though you don’t admit it!
Step 2: Play the Mirror Game
How many times have you stood in front of the mirror and found yourself thinking negative things about your body? Sometimes those thoughts are so subtle that we have trouble catching them when they happen.
Try this: the next time you stand in front of the mirror, pick out one thing you love about your body and say it out loud. Maybe it would be,
“Man, I love my haircut. It feels great and it really compliments the shape of my face.”
You’ll find that you feel a heck of a lot better about yourself after a session like this.
Step 3: Be Ridiculous
Let’s say you tried step 2, but all you can think about is how big your belly is. You keep telling yourself, “My belly is huge. My belly is huge” and you’re feeling pretty down.
I want you to keep saying this to yourself. But instead of just saying it privately in your head, I want you to say it out loud in the funniest cartoon voice that you can come up with.
Try telling yourself that you hate your belly in a Donald Duck voice!
You’re going to start laughing and hopefully, you’ll truly realize how ridiculous it sounds. So, can you see how ridiculous the statement and reasoning is, "Your body is your enemy. It ruins relationships, makes you feel ugly and basically why try anymore?"
Step 4: Create a New Story
Make your life a story worth telling. You see, we humans love to make up stories. They’re how we connect with one another, but they’re also how we heal.
For example, my old story was,
“I am not living the life I planned, therefore nothing matters.”
Or a fairly recent one,
“My knees are so bad, I can't exercise anymore.”
Thankfully we have the ability to rewrite the script,
“I am adaptable and creative, there are many things I am grateful for daily, life is worth it no matter how my plans turn out.”
“My body is remarkable, I may have some restrictions regarding the type of exercises I do, and that is ok because there are so many exercises I am capable of doing.”
The better your mental game is, the better your physical game is as well. Choose a story that serves you, take the judgements away, and respect the direction you want to go.
It’s not always easy, but I promise it’s worth it. Embrace the “whimsy” of your story so that life doesn’t have to be too serious and your life can be lived as one great story to be told.
If you are interested in looking at the story you are telling and possibly wanting to revise, you can rewrite those stories any time, even right now.
Download this worksheet and answer the questions honestly.
This week, I encourage you to try at least one of these four steps.
Hi, I'm Michelle Jerome, the Perfection Busting coach. In my business, Simple Solutions, I offer coaching and support needed to rethink assumptions about who you are and what you are capable of.
The result: higher confidence, better food and exercise choices, less body fat, and improved health.
Nutrition and fitness can be overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be. When you get personalized attention from a knowledgeable coach, your path to a healthy, happy, and fulfilled life becomes clear.