It’s 5pm, and all you want to do is collapse on the couch with a supersize portion of leftover spaghetti, but, instead, you do the right thing and drag yourself off to Pilates. No sooner have you found yourself a position close enough that you can see what you’re supposed to be doing but far enough from the instructor that you can get away with not doing it, and there she is, right in your line of vision – that skinny chick with the perfect bum and a killer rack (what’s with that?), whose life is probably one long episode of fabulousness. It’s enough to make you want to strangle yourself with your shoelace.
But, before you do, hear this: Ms Fabulosity probably has more issues than you could ever imagine. Yes, even more than you. And whatever her life might look like (not nearly as perfect as you imagine, by the way) it’s highly unlikely she’s happier. Why? Because, contrary to what you see and hear pretty much all the time, being skinny, gorgeous and loaded doesn’t cut it in the happiness stakes (read any celeb gossip lately?). Why? Because none of this means anything if you don’t like yourself. And losing five kilos, earning a bigger salary and driving a schmancy car won’t up the self-love stakes, either. But, here’s what might:
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Imagine if you spoke to your friends the way you sometimes speak to yourself. That wouldn’t be cool. So, how about cutting yourself a bit of slack in the self-criticism department? The next time you make a mistake or aren’t perfect, instead of berating yourself, consider the fact that you’re a human being and you try really hard to do your best, but sometimes people just mess up. Think about it like this: What would you say to your bestie or little sister if she did the same thing? You’d probably give her a hug and tell her you love her. Try doing the same thing with yourself. When that voice starts telling you you’re crap and that you might as well not even try because you’ll probably fail, consciously refuse to listen and remind yourself that you’re awesome. |
