I'm not perfect. No, that's an understatement. I am in no way, shape, or form, even remotely close to being perfect. I am flawed beyond reason. I think that most of us are. But when the new year rolls around, we are all coerced to follow the time-old "tradition" of making resolutions. We are encouraged to knit-pick ourselves and then make public promises, that we will follow them. "Next year, I'll be better."
When I turned 30, I was terrified. I was worried that I hadn't accomplished enough in life, worried that my life didn't have enough meaning. I felt insecure in my body and unsure of myself. Over that first year, I really found myself. I stopped apologizing to people who didn't deserve it. I cut out a lot of the toxic people in my relationships and spent more time on people who added positivity to my life. I made the choice to go vegan before my 30th birthday, but during this year, I stopped apologizing for my choice. I really felt like I was becoming the woman that I had always wanted, and deserved to be. When I celebrated my 31st birthday, I felt incredible. I had changed myself in so many ways, but not by announcing it on social media and then trying to keep up with it. I made promises to no one, not even myself, and when I followed through on things, that's when I allowed myself a pat on the back. I wasn't trying to keep up with or impress anyone. I only cared about what I really wanted and needed. Think about it; When is the last time that you did something just for you?
If we are going to make changes in our life, is it because of a new number on our calendar? Absolutely not. This changing of the year does not affect our genetic make-up, relationships, or experiences that have created the person staring back at us from the mirror. It is foolish to believe that anything other than a true, traumatic event would shift anyone's ability to create meaningful change in their lives. If it was as easy as rolling over the calendar, we'd all be patient, problem-solving, beautiful, rich people.
And what's the number one New Year's resolution? Weight-loss!!! You have to realize that we have a multi-BILLION dollar diet industry who only makes money if they can convince you that you need to lose weight. There's a reason that no one loses weight and keeps it off. If they taught your how to do that, they wouldn't be able to keep making money off of your low self-esteem! You do not need to do anything. You are perfect just the way you are. We are all perfectly imperfect.
Let's stop setting ourselves up for failure that will inevitably make us feel worse about ourselves. We deserve better. Let's stop allowing the advertising industry to control how we define perfection. Make your resolution to be at peace with yourself, or make no resolution at all. You deserve better than cheap desires that can never be fulfilled. Take a deep breath. Look yourself in the mirror and I mean, really look, and tell yourself that you are perfect. The media will never tell you this, but I am, and you need to do the same.
Be grateful for the journey that we have survived to get here. Good and bad; It made us who we are, and there is beauty in that.
I am so grateful for each and every one of you! Let's never conform to someone else's standards. Together, we're going to kick 2019's butt! #yougotthis #Ibelieveinyou
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