You ever read blogs and wonder where the writer got the idea to come up with that particular blog topic? Like why are they writing about that? They could write about anything, why that? Well, I'm having one of those moments and from time to time, I like to answer this as a writer. I was inspired this time by someone who DM'd me based on one of two pictures I posted in my stories yesterday. Since I'm currently challenging myself to run 20 miles/week and get to 100 runs using my Peloton app by a certain date, I post on social media including to my digital journal to keep me motivated and accountable and hopefully to inspire others to move their bodies (more) and I think it's working because this is what one person said "Sis I just want to say I love your sweaty workout pics lol. I'm not brave enough to do what you do so you know...you are FREAKING inspiring. Wishing you much success in 2022." This comment made my New Year's Eve and I let her know that. I also let her know that I felt her on her "not brave enough" comment and shared that there was a time when I wouldn't dare post a pic without makeup on. This brings about my point which is about that self-image problem/issue that we sometimes suffer from and don't even realize it.
Be Secure in Your Insecurities
Self-image is something that I suffered from for years because how I saw myself was ugly if I didn't have makeup on to help mask my insecurities about how I felt I looked. Makeup gave me confidence instead of having confidence from knowing that I was ENOUGH without putting on the "mask". Yes, I constantly hid my perceived flaws with makeup. You wouldn't dare catch me posting a pic on social media for everyone to see if I wasn't looking right and tight. I had this strong belief that people would find out that I was really ugly if I didn't cover my face with something that altered my appearance from its natural state. Boy did I have some work to do. I wasn't brave enough to show the true me and then, something started to shift. I had been working on my body and in the process, it helped me to work on my warped mindset of how I saw myself. Others would tell me I was beautiful, but I didn't believe them until I believed in myself. The first time I posted a makeup-less pic, I had heart palpitations. I was soooo scared. What would people think of me now that they could really see me? Then I went as far as to post pics of me sweating in the gym. Hell, I even wore my doo rags in the pics. I shared sweat dripping off my face pics. I got to a point that I didn't care that I was sweaty because I started to believe AND know that I was strong, powerful and beautiful. My workouts reinforced that mindset because I knew that I was consistently showing up for myself and that meant being authentically ME which was real and raw pics of what I grew to want my friends and followers to see. I had/have personal power and I was exuding it and nothing else was getting in my way, including ME. However, as I share all of this, what I'll also share is that it was a process to get comfortable showing ME and not the "image" that I wanted people to see of me and it has kept stride ever since. Every single time I workout, I post pics of me after I'm done. And I do it a little for me but more so for anyone who looks at it to show that they can transform too if they feel they are not brave enough to show their true self, sweat and all. Black is beautiful, in my case, and so is sweat! LOL! For me, if I don't sweat, I didn't work hard enough. Sweat is my reward for the hard work I've done and I want others for feel the same way. Hey now, I love to sweat because it shows my power!!!!
I had a conversation with a friend recently who shared that women he has dated weren't into fitness much because they didn't want to sweat. I raised an eyebrow knowing that all women don't think that way but I know some do so it wasn't that surprising, but it told me that it's something that needs progression. I know that some people just don't sweat and that's cool. Sometimes I wish I didn't sweat as much as I do. I literally have sweat showers when I have a high impact workout, but I accept all of me fully. As women, I want to encourage us to (continue to) embrace our bodies, sweat and all. To have a mindset of "sweat is sexy and powerful just like my body" because it IS!
Now there are going to be times where we still aren't feeling that comfortable with our look and will exhibit signs of insecurities, starting with mental signs. The thoughts that we have based on something that happened to us in the past, may happen to us, and even if there is a greater chance that nothing will happen to us, we get in our own way and don't do the things we want to do. This is what we need to work on. Doing the action even in our insecurities is what makes us secure in our insecurities because we keep practicing at getting better about ourselves and our decisions, one practice at a time. Heck, for me, further growth and beyond the no makeup pictures, was cutting all my hair off because I had shifted my mindset to the point where long hair no longer meant the only way to feel pretty. Now, for me, short hair is sexy, sassy, classy, and screams confidence. And...IT DOES! It took me 45 years to get to this level of thinking and feeling, but it was well worth my transformation and being secure in my other insecurities that still creep up from time to time and that I will continue to work on.
Snap and Share that Picture
Now, if you are reading this and you don't post pictures of yourself unless you have makeup on or unless you've taken about 5 or more pictures before you feel you've got the right shot to share on social media, I'm challenging you right now to shift and work on being secure in your insecurities. Here is what I want you to do. I want you to snap that picture just one time. What it shows is the real, authentic you, that the world really wants to see; and not the one who had to get it just right because the other shots just didn't show you as enough. Yes, they did. You just didn't believe it. By showing the real you, consistently, you'll get more comfortable and will encourage others to do the same when they aren't feeling secure, and you'll get that encouragement from others because people love to see when others are being "real real" and showing up for themselves. The act truly is encouraging to others. TRUST ME! And even if you don't get the encouragement, that's okay because you don't need validation from anyone else. All that matters is what you think about yourself because you are REAL, and you are ENOUGH! So, start snapping but only one time for one picture...at a time! NOTE: Whenever you feel uncomfortable doing something that helps you show up, do it anyway. This is another way to think about being secure in your insecurities because even though you feel insecure, you do it anyway until it becomes a thing you are no longer insecure about, and then you move on to the next insecurity. I'm sure we all have plenty to keep us busy practicing and this is a good thing!
If what I've shared resonated with you or you have blog topic recommendations, then I welcome you to leave a comment below or reach out to me for a free consultation to get help in an area of your life or a change/transformation you want to begin next year!
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