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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This doesn’t mean embracing mediocrity, but rather understanding your strengths and weaknesses, knowing who you are and not trying to be somebody else. So, you can’t do maths; you find it singularly impossible not to eat the whole tube of Pringles and you don’t have airtime because you had to have those boots. It’s okay to not be perfect. There are plenty of people in your life who are going to criticise you, so you really need to become your own best friend. Instead of seeing your quirks as something you need to change, try seeing them as part of your uniqueness and what makes you human and lovable and real. When you like yourself, other peoples’ opinions won’t matter quite as much, and this is a wonderful kind of freedom. |
