Ok let's start with the mirror, or the shop window, when you see yourself what are you looking for? Whether you are a healthy weight or overweight are you looking for the good stuff or are you looking to pick faults with yourself?
Most people who are overweight tend to look for what is wrong with them, so they tend to focus on their stretch marks, loose skin or their double chin, and tell themselves internally just how awful they look.
But what you see and how you feel about what you see is totally up to you! If you look at yourself in the mirror and think of all the things you are brilliant at, all the things you do that you know you are fantastic at then you can't help but notice yourself smiling in the mirror. Some of the most confident and happy people I know aren't particulary "stunning" but they don't care and hence they only focus on what they are looking for, which is what is good in them and good in the world.
I see many clients who are "disgusted" or "horrified" by what they see in a photo, or a glance in a changing room mirror, but the reality is that it is just you! You are fantastic and are so much more than what you see looking back at you.
When someone labels themselves with something like "I am disgusting" or "I am fat" then I always reply "Is that all you are?" The reality is you are so much more than just a label of your perceived physical presence!!
As I said above, if the first thing in the morning that occurs to you is that you don't like yourself, or that you don't like your weight, then that is a very tiring way to live your life. I spent my whole twenties "hating" and "criticising" myself and to be honest, it was only when I started to like myself that suddenly I started focussing on what I am good at.
I stood in front of the mirror at home when I was slim and used to pull my tummy skin all over the place and would tell myself how awful that loose skin looked, so I went and had an operation to remove it. I thought then that I would be happy with what I saw in the mirror, but as soon as I got home I just started looking at the scar and hating that instead. It was only a few months later when I realised I am actually quite a nice guy that I realised I don't care if I have a scar as what matters is what I feel inside and not whether I happen to still have moobs (which I do!)
So what are you looking for in the mirror? Do you remind yourself how good you are at things? Or are you always the first to pull yourself to bits?
If you can be negative when you look in the mirror, would you ever tell one of your friends or family what you say to yourself? Would you ever criticise in the same way?
And as my training partner Steve says "BE NICE TO YOURSELF"
Have an amazing weekend
Mike :-)
What If You Had No Limits?
