What Labels Do You Wear, That No Longer Fit?

Someone said to me the other day, "You lost so much weight, you look great!"

I was taken aback.

She was right, I did lose weight, and the words were nice to hear.

I'll explain why I was caught off guard.

Historically, I have been very thin, at times too thin. Everywhere I went people would comment on my weight. Some people would say that they were "jealous" or that I was "lucky.” Others would tell me to "eat a burger." Being seen as a thin person became part of my identity, without me even realizing it.

Over the past few years after developing an autoimmune disease, the pandemic, the loss of a loved one and a career shift I gained weight. I noted it but didn't pay any attention. I still saw myself as thin, and because that's how I saw myself, I assumed that is how other people saw me too.

The comment about my weight loss was jarring, because it meant someone saw me as NOT thin.

This all sounds superficial and shallow, because in this instance I am talking about physical appearance. However, I realized there is a much bigger lesson.

Up until recently I told people I was shy, and they looked at me like I was insane.

The thing is, I WAS shy until my 20s. People who met me after that see me as outgoing. I was wearing a label that no longer fit.

Our thoughts and self-talk are very powerful.

We see ourselves in a certain way, and assume this is the way others see us too.

The thing is, we may be viewing ourselves in an outdated way. We also may be seeing ourselves in a way that was never accurate.

Our attitudes, emotions and actions are based on these self-perceptions. Usually these mistaken self-perceptions are negative and limiting. We perceive ourselves to be lacking, unworthy or not good enough and we base our life choices on these beliefs.

We think limiting thoughts and then we act with limitations or constraints that we put upon ourselves.

The good news is, we can challenge our self-talk and change it. When you think "better" you do better.

We could all benefit from doing a self-inventory. What do we think of ourselves? How do we talk to ourselves? Is this inner monologue serving us, or holding us back? Is something that was once true, no longer true? If so, change it