Photoshop Perfect isn't the Real Deal

Time and time again we see women being judged for their appearance and put down because they aren't a size "0", don't wear designer clothes, prefer to wear jeans and t-shirts, or don't look Photoshop perfect. It is so easy to fall into the trap of judging yourself and others based solely on appearance. It seems that society as a whole has a "photoshop" expectation of women and you know what I am here to say, I will NEVER EVER live up to that expectation and I am okay with that!

You know the old saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover", well I am here to say let's apply that to women too! Why do we look at a woman's appearance and determine what type of person she is? Can you really read a book without opening the cover? No, you can't and you can't get to know a woman just by her outward appearance either. So why even try?

I am standing up to the standards that have been pushed on us and realize that we won't fit the mold of that Victoria Secret model that we see. In reality those models don't even fit that mold (hence the Photoshop)! I will stop judging other women based on their "cover" and will truly get to know them. Think about how many great people in the world we could be missing out on getting to know simply because their "cover" doesn't fit what society thinks it should be. I want to get to know all of the amazing women that may not have the "perfect"  photoshopped cover and love them for who they are.

And you know what else I am done judging myself based on that same baseline too! I was created as an individual for a purpose and I don't think punishing myself for not being that photshopped model is my purpose. I think I have a bigger, better purpose in this life. Yes, I have weight loss goals but those goals aren't based on an unattainable image that isn't real but goals based on my health so I can fulfill my purpose in this life.

So I am going to learn to love myself instead of beat myself up and I am going to love people for who they are on the inside rather than what their "cover" says about them. Let's start lifting each other up rather than dragging each other down!

Don’t Ever Give Up on Yourself

Sitting down today going through some of old pictures of myself on Facebook and I got to thinking, “Man I was fat and then man I was thin and then I have gotten fat all over again”. I once weighed 244lbs and with a lot of hard work and long hours at the gym I got down to 135lbs! But that didn’t really last long, life changes and my inability to stick to a restrictive diet and long hours in the gym resulted in what I think to be a massive weight gain. Those pictures made me feel discouraged and disappointed in myself. What was I going to do now?

Today I reached a crossroads, I could give up on myself and go eat that leftover pizza and drink the rest of that Pepsi or I could love myself, learn and continue working towards a healthier, happier, thinner me. You know really the easy path may have been to just give up but if I give up on myself won’t I be doing a disservice to myself, my son and my husband? If I am not healthy won’t be able to take care of myself let alone my family. And you know what my son’s favorite family activity is to play a little tag football, how can I play with him if I am not healthy. How can I fully enjoy life if I don’t have the energy to get off the couch? If I don’t get healthy now will I ever?

So I have chosen to do something about my weight and health rather than sit around a whine about it. I know that it won’t be an easy road but I want to be healthy, I want to live and enjoy life, I want to play football with my family. I want to live a long life with energy. I know I can and will succeed though the path may not be the easiest or smoothest. I am going to do this!

Don’t ever give up, keep moving, keep working, and focus on your dreams!

Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.-Confucius

In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. -Bill Cosby