LET IT GO
SHEDDING SOME SERIOUS WEIGHT
My Aunt and I went on a walk the other day. This is a normal part of our routine when time permits and our schedules align. So on this sunny, windy day, Kim, as you all know her stopped mid-stride to let a woman know how much she adored her outfit. This woman was full of life, snazzy, classy, and had a beautiful full head of grey hair. Who then would expect her to so vehemently reject Kim’s compliment? Her response was filled with self-loathing. She began to discuss all the ways in which she felt inadequate and how the reason for her outfit was to cover up the saggy arms she was trying to hide.
Her critical spirit spoke to me because I too often find myself trying to cover up what disappoints me in the mirror. Understanding the art of being hard on ourselves, Kim and I interjected with compliments—-trying to fill up this woman’s very empty cup. Kim shared encouragement from her nutritionist telling her to declare self-affirmations, one being, “I am beautiful”.
So what then was this woman’s response you ask? After first investigating whether such an act of positive declarations truly worked, she resolved to say that she wasn’t beautiful. Friends, I realized we’re not going to break down walls made of self-loathing in one chance encounter. Eventually we both parted ways. Kim and I finishing our walk, and her just beginning.
These walls of self-criticism are built—-beginning in our childhood—-brick by brick, with each self-loathing word. Bruce Lee once said, “Don't speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke. Your body doesn't know the difference. Words are energy and they cast spells, that's why it's called spelling. Change the way you speak about yourself, and you can change your life.”
If there’s any take away or profound moment of reflection that I can impart, it’s simply that my friends we carry a lot of heavy weight inside our hearts. We carry baggage everyday from things that we’ve been told. These are words that have stuck to us like glue telling us we are not enough just as we are. Billboards, advertisements, and commercials that show us that just making ourselves a little better will solve everything. Yet even with all these adjustments, we still end up feeling like what we have to offer is not enough.
I am here to tell you are enough. Kim is here to tell you, you are enough. You can drop this weight of inadequacy today, this heavy burden that has you bound you can let it go. You can celebrate you, you can decide not to step on scale, to not celebrate fitting into your ‘skinny self’ clothes. You can feel good enough about where you are today, BECAUSE YOU ARE ALIVE, YOU ARE FREE AND YOU ARE SIMPLY SOMEONE THAT NO ONE ELSE CAN BE.
xoxox Maria & Kim 😘😘
