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“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.” – Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Everyone has insecurities. It’s hard to believe, but every single person thinks that they have some sort of flaw visible to all upon first encounter. So how exactly does this help you, knowing that everyone has insecurities?
Take a look at the people you admire. The leaders you read about in the newspapers and watch on television. All the role models you’ve ever had. They all had insecurities.
The truth is that they didn’t let their vulnerabilities stop them from becoming the people you admire today. They learned to love themselves. They looked both inside and outside themselves to determine what made them worthy of becoming who they are.
Not even I have this mastered yet. But it’s something we all must do. If we can’t eliminate our insecurities, we must crush their ability to interfere in our lives. We must learn to deal with our “flaws” and turn them into strengths.
Follow these steps to start loving the skin that you’re in:
Number 1. Remember the accomplishments you’ve made
Think back to all of the feats you’ve pulled off, all the goals you’ve achieved, and the hardships you overcame. At the time it seemed impossible. Possible for someone else (probably better than you in every way), but not for someone like you. But than something unexpected happened. Everything just seemed to click. You didn’t give up and miraculously, you succeeded.
Number 2. If you haven’t made any accomplishments, make some
Maybe you’re not satisfied with how far you’ve come. That’s okay. You’ll just have to take on some new challenges won’t you? Set goals that inspire you and challenge you to move past your comfort zone. Don’t accept a goal that with not make you perceive yourself differently than you did before. Even if you have made great strides in who you are, you may still want to push the envelope of your feats.
Number 3. Look in the mirror
Stare at yourself and look in your eyes. Then move through the rest of your body. Notice the lines and contours, the curves, the dimples. Take in everything you see present within your skin. And realize that everything that you see is yours. The person you see in the mirror is nobody else’s. By happy to claim and keep him/her as your own. Nobody can take it away from you. However, realize that your body is constantly changing. How you view these changes is up to you.
Number 4. If you don’t like what you see, change it
There will some of you who don’t like what you see and want to augment it a bit. I say go ahead. Because it’s your body, it’s your responsibility to oversee what you want to look like. Believe that you can change how you look whether it be with a simple diet change, or with a full blown exercise routine. Genes can only do so much for your appearance, but it’s your personal choice that influences the power over your body the most.
Number 5. Ask your closest friends what they like about you
The ones who have been with you through all the battles and struggles, those are your friends. They can tell you what shines about you the most. That’s the great thing about having friends. They tend to see the great things about you that a stranger won’t be able to see. They can see past your flaws and reveal the person within. Ask them to tell you your strengths in remarkable detail. You’ll most likely be surprised by what they tell you. 
Before people can have the confidence to lead others, they must have the confidence to lead themselves. They had to own their physical and metaphysical natures in order to grow as people. This didn’t happen overnight. They knew the road ahead would be difficult, yet forged ahead anyway. Now it’s your turn. Love how you look, love who you are, and love who you’re soon to become.
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I think true acceptance of who we are, with our so called “flaws” is key. Now I’m not saying one should balloon to a huge amount of weight and not get off the couch, but to focus on self respect and personal self esteem. Once these become healthy, so will our self image.
Thank you for the great post as usual. I’m really loving your blog and all your articles. Cheers!
Thanks so much for your blog. I truly appreciate your sentiment and all the info you’re providing. I am already following you on twitter and retweeting your posts often.
I am in the process of creating my blog, so, if you’d like to follow me on twitter, my profile is under diannedelreyes
Thanks and have a fabulous day
@ Dayne I like your thoughts on acceptance of your flaws. It is only when you can be at peace with your self image can you truly love yourself.
@Dianne I hope you succeed in making your blog! I followed you on twitter. You guys have a great weekend.
Great message, once again!
Even though I participate in a team sport regularly and eat relatively well I still have my physical “flaws” that I would love to change.
But in the last few months I have realised that in order to “perfect” these so called “flaws” I am going to have to get strict with my diet and exercise regime… at the end of it I might look “perfect” but how will I feel?
Will I end up being obsessed with looking “perfect” – most likely… Nah, it’s not for me. Why live a life of deprivation when I can accept my “flaws” and enjoy it all?
I prefer to spend my time thinking about how to be a better person and love those around me…
Besides, we need to have “flaws” to be human, don’t we?
I can related to what you have written here…
There was a time, where “looking at the mirror was too frightening” :-0) Glad that’s over….
What kept me going was focus on strengths. There will always be thing that we can’t do, or not too good at….
good post, to start my day!
@Kirsty I understand how you must feel to constantly try reach for something that seems so far away. As long as you exercise regularly and eat right, it doesn’t matter how you look. One thing I’ve realized as a human is that no matter how much we improve ourselves (everyone else can we’re perfect) we will always find some flaw we didn’t notice before. I’m glad you’ve taken my advice to heart.
@Shamelle It’s great that you’ve overcome your fear of looking in the mirror. Why fear what’s rightfully yours?
Keep getting stronger and soon you’ll become the person you’ve always aspired to be.
I really love this post john. I forgot to thank you for the blog critique. I really appreciated that. You don’t me and i don’t know you, but you still helped me out. That is what I call character. I took your advice and now I’m on the right track.
Thank you. It was nothing really
What a great, inspiring post!
You’ve made some excellent points about a very important topic. Thanks for sharing all of your great insights here.
I really liked this post, particularly because of step 4. I always hear people these days say “don’t change yourself”, and lines similar to that. Sure, you shouldn’t change your personality (unless you’re a real jerk). But I see nothing wrong with working to change your physical appearance. If it will make you happier, then do it. Like you said, it’s your own body.
Hi John,
How are you?
I found your blog on CYT.
It’ s funny, i started writing on a topic similar to this but in a different context last week and only finished it this evening.
My attention was drawn to number 4 and 5. I feel this is a deep truth ‘ your personal choice influences the power over your body most’ I also believe in establishing positive relationships with true friends.
Great post filled with deep truths.
Do have a lovely day.
Ayo,
Thanks for reading my post on Change Your Thoughts. I’m glad you found my blog interesting.
Accept your body because it’s yours forever. That’s the message I wanted to convey. You have a lovely day as well.
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All are very good points. It’s important to understand that nobody is has the ability to take control over your life as YOU do. Your life is your responsibility – which of course includes your attitude, happiness, values, etc.
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