“The key to success: to do one thing at a time – and give it everything you’ve got” —Brook Noel
As I was doing my morning routine of reading, writing, and meditation, I came across a wonderful topic. In my book Simple Abundance, Sarah mentions that quilters will often place a mismatched patch on a quilt just to prove that they are imperfect. This was something that I had caught onto awhile back as I struggled with my perfection genes. I now advise my clients to purposely color outside of the lines, figuratively or literally! I choose literally as I find coloring very relaxing and fun. Today I wanted to talk about imperfection and how to embrace it.
First off I want you all to know that I am as imperfect as you can get! I still have meals that I overeat, I can skip an entire week of yoga, I can forget to breathe, and there are times when my clothes can feel slightly more snug than usual. Now, before you start to say, “But you can’t gain weight you’re the expert!” let me elaborate.
There are many reasons why your clothes can start to fit tighter. Too much salt, water retention and bloating, lack of fun/movement, binge/overeating, or a multitude of other reasons. Which one of these it is doesn’t really matter, because when my clothes get snug this is what I do.
- Take a deep breath, it’s not the end of the world.
- Take inventory, am I missing anything, am I overdoing it anywhere, do I need to live more out of choice, am I overly stressed?
- Avoid the clothes that fit tight. Some of you feel the need to keep wearing snug clothes as a constant reminder that you have done something wrong. I believe the opposite. I keep my jeans in the closet and wear yoga pants and comfortable shirts so that I feel good each day, which is key in weight loss.
- Ask myself if I need more movement or less. Then I take action in whichever direction my body asks for.
- Take the time to ask my body what it truly wants to eat and do each morning.
After a few days I am right back in those jeans and it’s no big deal. Remember living naturally thin doesn’t mean living with perfection, it means you live without stress around food, exercise, and your body. So embrace the imperfections as simply messages from the divine. Remember if your jeans fit tight and that motivates you to begin doing more yoga, is that such a bad thing? Can you blame your body for using such an effective tactic?
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