I know this title mentions weight loss, but this really applies to anyone wanting to change their physical appearance. Do you love the person you are in this exact moment? I’m asking you to forget-for just a minute here-any goals you have and the motivation behind them, and just ask yourself, “Do I love the person I am right now? Do I feel good about who I am?” This isn’t a trick question and it’s not to make you think hard. Truly, it’s a yes or no question, and I hope the answer is “ABSO-FUCKIN-LUTELY.”
However, I know that’s not the case with everyone. I want to encourage you to find aspects of yourself and your life that you love so much that when you think about it, your face starts to hurt from smiling. Why? Because despite where you are or where you are going, there is beauty in the moment you are living in and you get to choose whether you want to pay attention to it or not.
We are all motivated by something-going to the gym to obtain a certain physique, switching up the food we eat to feel healthier, cutting back on drinking so we don’t skip a workout the next day. And majority of the time, we want to accomplish these goals because of the end result and the feeling we associate with it: confidence, happiness, security, love, worthiness, etc. These are all amazing feelings to experience and powerful motivators to keep you on track, however, you don’t necessarily need to accomplish weight loss, weight gain, or whatever your fitness goals are to have that outcome.
Stay with me here, I’m not saying don’t go to the gym or eat healthier. You have to take action to get results at the end of the day. What I’m saying is, think about the feelings you associate with that end result and find ways to live in that reality today. Literally right now.
I say this for a couple of reasons: 1. Tomorrow is not granted, 2. The outcome doesn’t necessarily guarantee anything. This is not to scare you, but give perspective. Have goals, and stay motivated/be disciplined about it but don’t forget that this moment is the only thing that’s guaranteed. And because of this, it’s damn near critical that you love the person you are right now. It would be tragic to experience the final moments of life not having loved the person that you were.
Let me make this other point clear. Achieving weight loss, weight gain, WHATEVER, doesn’t guarantee you confidence, self love, happiness, security, or worthiness. Matter of fact, it doesn’t guarantee any emotion you would assume would result from having accomplished your goal. Why? Because how you feel about yourself is deeper than your appearance. And if you feel like you have to look a certain way to be worthy, you are always going to struggle internally. You can achieve your fitness goals and still, unfortunately, be insecure or lack confidence in yourself.
Don’t feel like you have to do a 180 and change your perspective overnight. What I am getting at here is that there is inner work that needs to be done. But the good thing is that doing inner work will guarantee you the emotions above and you can take your time with it. What does inner work look like? It could be stating affirmations to yourself daily, journaling about what you love about yourself, asking yourself what the purpose is behind your goals and what those goals mean to you, praying or meditating (I love the ho'oponopono prayer), reflecting on your life, seeing a therapist, joining a community of like-minded people on similar journeys, you name it. This is going to look different for everyone but it’s your responsibility to find ways to do this inner work so that you can begin to love the person you are in this exact moment without having to rely on looking a certain way.
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