#ThrowbackThursday I’m feeling feisty this morning. I have a bone to pick with a bully who beats up on all my clients, family, and friends. It intimidates and scares people. It makes people avoid it at all costs. The mirror. Honestly, before I started coaching people, I never in a million years would have guessed that so many people have issues with their reflection. Some of the most beautiful people I know have serious issues with their reflections. Some of the most seemingly confident people avoid the mirror. What’s that all about? A reflection is so personal. It’s like meditation. You have nowhere to hide. You can’t drown out your thoughts with food or TV or a good book. You’re there, with it. For better or worse, you’re seeing who you are. Or are you? Most people are carrying around what the mean girls said about them in 10th grade. Or what their mom said about their weight. Or the time an overbearing boss complained about their work. Or the time they didn’t know about a topic. We are so caught up with all of the past insecurities that we’ve chosen to internalize that we forget we may not be that anymore. The kid who was fat at age 12 might be super fit right now. The girl who almost failed out of college could have a successful career. So why are we punishing ourselves for someone we’re not? Remember the story of the ugly duckling? It was only after he looked at his reflection in the water that he realized he’s a swan now. I promise you that you are all swans now. You are all so much further along than you think you are. Trial and tribulations and—life—happens. And you don’t realize it while you’re going through it, but you’re evolving. You’re changing. And you are nowhere near where you used to be. It’s hard to see incremental changes when you’re with yourself every day. But the mirror can see the bigger picture. Exercise? Spend 15 minutes every morning with your reflection. 15 minutes just staring at yourself in the mirror. Set your alarm for 15 minutes into the future and try not to count down the minutes. Just sit there and be with yourself. At first, it’s going to suck. It’s going to seem like a waste of time. You’re not going to get it at all. And every insecurity is going to come up. “My nose is so huge.” “Eww, do you see that zit forming?” “Do I seriously have a double chin?” But then you’re going to start to move past that. You’re going to start to see who you really are right now. The thing about spending a lot of time with someone (including yourself) is you start to get to know them. It’s like dating someone new. Sure it’s awkward and all superficial at first. But eventually someone has to slip up and reveal something personal. And, next thing you know, you begin to see that person as they are. Try it for a week. See if it makes a difference. I’ve got this rule that I can’t recommend anything I’ve never tried on myself. So, trust me, I’ve tried everything on myself. (Going on a year with my health coach!) The first time I did this, I thought, “What a crock of shit.” And then later that day, I accidentally caught my reflection as I was walking by a mirror, and I turned to myself and out of nowhere was filled with emotional. As my eyes started to tear, I told myself, “I am so grateful for everything you’ve worked at and everything you’ve become.” Where’d that come from? No idea. But I realized then that I was starting to see who I was today, not who I was 10 years ago. So 15 minutes. Every day. For a week. I DARE YOU. NO, I CHALLENGE YOU. I told you I’m feeling feisty today. Because you’re worth it. Because who you are today is worth knowing how amazing you are. Because without your reflection, you’ll never realize that the “ugly duckling” has transformed into a swan.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 18:52:23 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015