Man in the Mirror

Have you ever looked at the mirror... naked... and just stood there long enough to find all 3,698 flaws? Phew!! I thought it was just me! What a relief! Well... kind of. 

Okay, so we admit that we do this and guess what? It's not just women. Men are just as, if not more, self-conscious. This is a FACT. Please do not dispute it. You will lose. 

So here's the question... What are we doing next? Does that critical conversation with ourselves end up motivating us to the gym, or to surgery or to the doctor? Does it send us into a downward spiral of depression and hopelessness? Does it make us congratulate ourselves that it is not worse than what it could be? Or does it make us binge eat since, "it doesn't seem to matter anyway"?

What are we telling ourselves and how are we responding to that? I feel like it is so easy to allow negative self-talk into our minds. And honestly, it wouldn't be so bad if that is all it was. But it's not. Those words become thoughts and those thoughts plant seeds and negative seeds yield a negative product. So why do we do it? I mean, let's be honest. Even if that talk drives you to the gym daily, you still view yourself as inadequate. Okay, so you're inadequate. Then who is adequate among us? Let me know!! It's definitely not me.

I mean, I don't know. I guess I'm trying to understand why I get so bored with myself so quickly. How can I see EVERY SINGLE THING that is wrong with me within a minute of looking at myself. Why do people with curly hair want straight hair and tall people wish they were shorter? Why do married people want to be single and single people want to be married? lol! I crack myself up! But really, it just feels like we are never satisfied with ourselves, our significant others, our homes, our jobs, almost everything. I literally could complain about just about everything in my life if challenged to. I think it's my faith that stops me. I literally feel guilty complaining because for as many things that I have to complain about, I could identify twice as many things to be grateful for. Yes, admittedly, I am an eternal optimist but I am also a believer in the Most High God. I just can't believe that a big ol' giant God would create something He thought was ugly or purposeless. That doesn't even make sense to me. 

So, today, when I look in the mirror, I will see it all. But I will choose what to focus on and I will reset my attitude about it. Today I will make that change. Tomorrow, I will do the same. On the third day, I may fail but it will not be due to a lack of effort nor will it mean I've lost. I've not lost. I've only experienced a minor setback. I will try again. 

 Ultimately, I am a series of the choices I make. I am a product of my own decisions. I am not a victim. Even when I am a victim, I can choose my response to the situation. I own it. I own it all. The good, the bad and the ugly. It is all a part of me and after all... perfection is overrated anyway!