How often do you compare yourself with the former you?
Are you unhappy with where you are now and spend energy trying to figure out how you can *fix* yourself?
I thought about this while practicing with my 2012 self in THIS 50-MINUTE YOGA SEQUENCE. (So fun!)
During practice, I felt a deep admiration for Jackie circa 2012. Empathy for her wants needs, desires, fears, and insecurities. We had just moved to Atlanta, I had recently become a wife and was exploring taking my business online. I was on the cusp learning how to take care of myself not only through exercise and nutrition but by experimenting with the energetic body, my beliefs, and thoughts. Sadly, I didn’t appreciate the body I had back then but man, do I ever appreciate it now.
Does this ever happen to you?
You look back at a photo and wish you appreciated your body back in high school, college, or a few years ago since it’s changed now?
Appreciate your body and who you are NOW because odds are you’ll be looking at an old pic years from now and wish you had.
Fast forward five years, I’m about to become a mother, my online business has grown, and I’ve cleared away layers of ‘I’m not good enough’ or ‘I need to be fixed’ realizing we all need to be more loving, gentle and kind to ourselves. Because when we do, it opens a world of possibilities.
You might be thinking, but if I’m not hard on yourself then I’m afraid I’ll let myself go. No, you won’t.
Look at the evidence from your past. Is what you’re doing working? This counter-intuitive, more loving approach works.
A shift will happen.
You’ll move your body not because you want to lose weight but because you crave how it makes your body feel.
You’ll try a program like the Happy Body Program (*last chance to get it before the program retires in August – click for more details*) to learn more about how the foods you eat make you feel. Or you’ll choose quality foods like vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains, plant-based proteins or organic meats because you appreciate your body and want to nourish it not punish it.
You’ll say ‘no’ to activities that you think you ‘should’ do and start doing things you ‘want’ to do instead.
You’ll no longer hit the pillow at night thinking about what you didn’t accomplish that day or what’s on your to-do list tomorrow. Instead, you’ll take a moment to reflect on the many blessings you have in your life.
You’ll let go of keeping up with the Joneses because you realized the Joneses are just trying to keep up with the Kirkpatricks.
The constant need to *fix yourself* takes away from your happiness. Of course, it’s great to have aspirations of learning more about yourself and striving for things you desire. But start with self-acceptance, and then you can move into self-improvement.
Instead of working out, what about working in? That’s where lasting change happens.
Your action steps moving forward:
- Try the 50-MINUTE YOGA SEQUENCE. It is a level 2 power flow so if you’re new to yoga try this one instead. Get into your body and out of your head.
- Reroute the unhealthy ‘I’m not good enough’ thought train with the mantra ‘I am enough, I have enough. I do enough.” (my personal favorite)
- Before you go to bed, write down five things you appreciate about yourself or the day.
- Continue reading my weekly(ish) coaching emails as we dive deeper into this topic.