Our self worth is so important to our overall happiness. And I believe that happiness is the most important thing in life. You can have everything in the world, yet, if you're not happy, YOU'RE NOT HAPPY! So what is the point of any of it? I believe that happiness is the goal for everyone, whatever you're trying to achieve, its because deep down you have a desire to be happy. It saddens me that so many girls these days attach their self worth and happiness to their appearance. I feel like this is a heavy subject that is overlooked way too much these days. Its a subject that's very important to me because I value happiness so much... and... I have been there, too. This isn't really something I've shared before, so be kind please.
I used to attach so much of my self worth to how I looked. I used to be obsessed with how I looked. I felt that if I wanted to be popular, loved, or even successful, I had to look good. I understand that many people feel or have felt this way. The thing is, no matter how good I looked, no matter how skinny or fit I was, it wasn't enough. To me, I still wasn't as pretty or skinny as the women in magazines, in my school, or in the movies. We will never view ourselves the way other people view us. And until you love yourself as you are, you will never be happy with what you see in the mirror. Until you love yourself, you will always find something to criticize yourself for. I remember trying to limit my calories to under 1000 a day. I remember spending so much time and money on makeup and hairstyles. I remember exercising and running every single day no matter how tired I was. I remember sticking my finger down my throat because I ate too much food. I was terrified of being fat or ugly. I didn't do those things because they made me happy. I thought that maybe if I looked the way I wanted to, I would be happy. But I wasn't. Because it's not possible to be happy when you're so concerned with how you look that you would rather keep your hair looking nice than go swimming!
Like I said, no matter how skinny, fit, or pretty you are, you will always find something you hate about yourself until you love yourself as you are. You will not be happy until you love yourself. Read more about that here. I know you might not believe me, but trust me when I say that having a perfect body, losing 15 pounds, or looking like a supermodel, will not make you happy. I know it seems like it will, but it won't. It might make you happy for an instant but thats not real happiness. That kind of happiness doesn't last. Its not real. That kind of happiness comes from fluffing the ego, which makes us feel good for about a moment. But when that initial "happiness" fades away (and it will), you will find something else to be unhappy with in your life. That kind of thinking is the ego's form of survival. It doesn't come from the heart, it comes from the mind. The ego says, when you lose 20 pounds, when your skin clears up, when you get your hair done, when you get married, when you have more money, or whatever it is... that you'll be happy then. It never says that you can just be happy now. Because if the mind believed that you could simply just be happy right now, the ego wouldn't survive. Lasting happiness doesn't come from fulfilling the ego's wishes. Real happiness comes from loving who you are, doing the things you love, appreciating the moment you're in, feeling grateful for what you have, getting outside + enjoying nature, and spending time with your family and friends.
Just in case nobody ever told you this, I wanted to let you know that you deserve to be really happy. And you are worth so much more than the number on the scale. You are worth so much more than your reflection in the mirror. You are worth so much more than the way you look. You are worth so much more than the number of people who like you. You are. I hope you believe me. Try to focus on loving yourself as you are and everything else will fall into place. I promise. None of that superficial, egotistical stuff will matter anymore. I hope you have a great day today. I love you so much.
xo Jessica