Love All Versions of Yourself
Trust me when I say that I am the first to look back on pictures of myself at different stages in my life and be absolutely embarrassed and revolted.
How could I let myself go that badly? How did I gain so much weight? Why did I not make a change sooner? What could people have possibly thought of me back then?
But wait … why am I being toxic and judging my past self?
In that moment, that woman was doing her damn best. She was trying her hardest. She knew she wasn’t the skinniest and never would be. She aspired to do better, and she tried many times. Sometimes she was successful, and sometimes she wasn’t. But none of that matters.
Despite her flaws, she was a warrior. She was me. I was her.
Her size did not dictate who she was inside. She was still the same person that she is today. She was kind. She was generous. She constantly went out of her way to help others. She worked hard. She appreciated life and each moment she got to live it.
She was pregnant not once, not twice … but 5 times!!! She not only carried her own 2 beautiful children, she also gained custody of her step daughter and raised her as her own. Also, she carried 3 surrogate babies and created a whole other family besides her own.
She made an impact. She made a difference. She was important.
Was she perfect? No. Was she healthy? Not really. But she still deserves to be loved, and I will continue to love all versions of her:
- the pregnant version
- the struggling to stick to a diet version
- the weak version who needed a little support here and there
- the version who would finally succeed for several months and then fall back into bad habits
- the version who would cry behind closed doors because she was disappointed in herself and didn’t know what else to do
- the version that loved deeply, cared for others and tried her best
- the version that was a kick ass, present mother
- the list goes on….
She is what got me here today. Each and every version of her. Every struggle she went through. Every fight she fought. Every moment of weakness and every triumph or success.
SHE is the reason that I am here today, and every lesson she learned along the way is what is guiding my success now and into the future.
Without her, all past versions of her,
There would be no me.
Tell me in the comments below:
What is one thing that makes you proud of your previous self?
