I was watching one of those makeover programmes the other day. You know the type - Joe Bloggs or Jane Doe has a negative self image of themselves which ultimately limits their ability to see their true potential. The episode in question was about a woman that ran a slimming club, having in the past lost something like 80lbs in weight. In front of club members she carried herself well, being the embodiment of what you could achieve if you put your mind to it. And yet she still had deep-rooted body issues. She was regularly putting on a performance for club members when in reality she held herself in such low self esteem.
Suffice to say she managed to be suitably inspired during the programme to re-wire the way she saw the world and felt far more comfortable about who she really was. And it got me thinking. You occasionally hear stories about celebrities that seem to have everything that anyone could desire and yet they are desperately unhappy or lonely or lost. They experience the human condition as much as the next person and yet are elevated by others to be a bit more than the rest of us. But they are just like the rest of us. Yet it's amazing how much we project ourselves into the realms of other peoples' worlds wishing, hoping and all that to be just like them. If only we planted our own feet more firmly on the floor, took in the view, enjoyed the journey and kept ourselves with ourselves.
It really is easier said than done and, yes, it's a sweeping statement but as I've said before: comparison really is the mother of all misery.
Have you ever done a group exercise where one person looks into a mirror and describes their self out loud to the rest of the group? It is amazing what people can truly reveal. I did this in a high school sociology class. So many people had very low opinions and some couldn't even finish the exercise. It was sad because at the time no one was older than 17. I say like who you are, if somethings not working then change it and let yourself be happy.
ReplyDeleteI've never done that exercise although I think I would be fascinating to see how people see themselves versus what everyone else actually sees. Bridging that gap would be interesting.
ReplyDelete