It’s easy to judge a book by its cover, isn’t it?  We see something, or meet someone, and make the often erroneous judgment that they have always been like they are now.  Wouldn’t it be nice if that were true? Truth be told, there is often quite a story behind how something became what it is today. This has definitely been true for me.

Many who meet me today believe I have all of the answers, I’m perfect in how I eat and all that I do, and that I’ve arrived in some magical place where self-doubt, challenge, and conflict don’t exist. Truth be told, I live amongst these things everyday, just as all of you do.  I’ve definitely lived through my share of hard knocks and struggle, especially when it comes to my food choices and my body.  But I’ve held on to the firm belief that there has to be a better way. Over the years I’ve worked my tushie off to discover what that better way looks and feels like.

I don’t believe any of us is here to live a life of strife and pain.  But this used to be my everyday relationship with the reflection I saw in the mirror and the food on my plate.  Trying on clothes used to be an absolute nightmare- and I’ve wound up in a pile of tears and self-loathing after a shopping sojourn gone awry more times than I like to admit (swimsuit shopping ring a bell for anyone???).  I was literally hurting myself with binge eating, strenuous exercise and starvation tactics just so I could feel good about myself.

But I knew there was a better way.

Ever since I ditched the deep seated hatred I had for my body, and learned how to embrace who I am, I have felt a liberation and freedom I didn’t know could exist.  When I aligned my eating habits with who I know and believe myself to truly be, life has become much easier.  And as I continue to grow and evolve (this is what I’m all about, by the way), I also continue to refine how I eat and live my life so that they are a true reflection of who I am, and who I am ever becoming.

I’ve waived “bye-bye” to weighing myself, and allowing a number to determine my mood or how I feel about myself.  I’ve said “so-long” to calorie counting, frantic exercising and reliance on sheer will power.   And I’ve shouted a loud “adios!” to feeling bad about myself, or thinking there’s something wrong with me if I don’t look like someone else.  I want to feel good in my own skin, strong in my own body, and centered in my deep knowing that who and what I am, is good and beautiful and worth loving everyday.

Do you want to find a better way?