All of us look at ourselves in the mirror. Every chance we get, if we are honest about it. We want to make sure there is nothing stuck between our teeth, or that something bad hasn’t happened to our hair. We look for those things but we don’t look objectively. We can’t look objectively, it simply isn’t possible.

When we look at ourselves we see ourselves differently than the rest of the world see us. We do this when we look in a mirror, at a picture, or just in simple introspection. It is not possible for us to see ourselves the way the rest of the world sees us. No one has my experiences, no one has lived what I have lived and no one is ever going to really “get” me.

And that’s OK. Other people’s opinion of me is really none of my business. They see what they see and they interpret what they see based on their own experiences. It really doesn’t matter; I can’t do anything about it anyway.

But my opinion of myself is a different matter. I can do something about that. I can decide to see myself in a better light. I can decide to see myself in a more negative way also. When you look in the mirror and see some parsley stuck in your teeth you remove it (I hope!) When you look at yourself and start in on your negative self-critique, stop and ask why? Why are you talking about yourself like that? Would you let someone else talk to you like that? I hope not. So stop, already.

I know you want to understand how we all see you, how we all look at you and form an opinion. But you never will. It is not possible. So stop that too.

Look at yourself and say something nice and positive. Stop beating yourself up. Let’s be honest, my own opinion of myself probably isn’t any more valid than someone else’s but at least I understand how I came by it!

Say something nice to yourself. You deserve it. If you don’t love yourself the rest of the world will have a hard time loving you too.

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412