One of the things that I’ve felt super self-conscious and insecure about most of my life has been my appearance, specifically my weight. Like most women, I’ve had my struggles with feeling beautiful, confident, and comfortable in my own skin.

When my health really went south and I didn’t bounce back like I thought I would even though I was doing everything “right”, I had to take a deeper look at all of the things in my life that were negatively impacting my vitality. I had to take a long, hard, honest look at how I was treating myself and my body above and beyond my diet, my supplement regime, and my sleep schedule. I’ve judged, hated on and punished my body in more ways than I could ever count in this lifetime. And one of the things that’s remained pretty constant for me has been a lot of negative self-talk about my appearance and my weight. Even when I was deeply into disordered eating, and skinny as a rail, I don’t think I could have whittled myself down to a small enough weight to ever feel satisfied, beautiful, or lovable.

When I realized that I had to address my health at this level – the ways I was abusing myself by how I was relating to and talking to myself – I knew I was confronting one of my biggest roadblocks to living my life from my Power Spot.

I was never thin enough, pretty enough, accomplished enough, wealthy enough, smart enough, perfect enough, fast enough…

I was just never enough in my own mind.

Never being enough for myself was keeping me trapped in a perpetually pressurized place of having to constantly do more, be more, accomplish more, and never feel satisfied, joyful or fulfilled by where I was at in the moment. I was constantly chasing something that wasn’t here yet, and trying to be something or someone that I wasn’t yet (or could never be), even when it meant I was hurting myself in the process.  It left me feeling exhausted, depleted, depressed, and totally powerless.  

Maybe you can you relate?

How I felt about my appearance used to make me want to shrink and hide until I realized that this body of mine is the vessel, vehicle, and temple that allows ME to be here. I’ve wasted so much time and energy in my lifetime by not accepting WHO I AM and WHAT IS. Without accepting myself and what is, I was always comparing myself to someone else, chasing an idea of what I thought I should be, or judging myself for being here instead of there.  By being in that constant chasing, striving and proving, I was holding myself back from being in my Power Spot.

When I started to accept and actually love who I was and where I was, instead of chasing what wasn’t yet, my health improved, my vitality and energy both increased, and I found peace where I’d previously only known worry, anxiety and stress.

When I stopped hating my body and I started loving myself instead, I effortlessly found my Power Spot, and everything changed for the better. To be clear, I’m not perfect about this, and I STILL bump up against this from time to time. I believe accepting and loving ourselves is a life-long practice. Sometimes I’m really great at it, and other times I slip into old patterns. But more often than not, I am loving myself and my life more than ever before. And my health reflects that.

We all want to experience the joy of achieving our goals and bettering ourselves. AND part of getting there is feeling powerful and beautiful here and now.

This is what standing in your Power Spot can do – it can take your attention and energy away from the things that drain you, and instead redirect them toward the things that help you feel expansive, energized, healthy, beautiful and whole.

If you’ve spent a good portion of your life giving your power away to self-criticism and self-doubt, you’re in very good company. But ask yourself this: How is that affecting your health? Your energy? Your happiness?

Life is truly meant to be lived and enjoyed. It’s just too short and precious to live it any other way.