What do I mean?
Let's take Oprah, for instance. I notice that she's doing Weight Watcher's commercials now.
Except Oprah looks fantastic just as she is. Yet somewhere along the line she's decided that she's not skinny enough, probably by being barraged by media and societal expectations of what the "right weight" should be.
So...she's still "struggling" with the weight, not taking into account that (a) she looks fabulous the way she is, (b) there's a good chance that her genetics won't allow for stuffing herself into a size 4 at any point in her life without taking drastic (and extremely unhealthy measures), and (c) maybe being happy in her own body will finally shake off this incessant need to look like everyone else.
I saw my doctor a couple of weeks ago. She told me that I need to lose exactly 20.5 lbs. I currently wear size 8 jeans and I feel great. I've been more than 20 lbs. lighter and, during that time, I felt unhealthy and I could feel the bones in my lower back. I felt sick, too skinny, and far from "healthy."
I looked at my recent New Year's Resolutions dating back the past 3 years. Like almost everyone else, weight loss has been on that list. I finally asked myself: Why? Why do I "need" to lose weight? To look like a skinny Cosmopolitan model? To feel bad about myself because, according to my doctor, I'm considered "overweight"?
I decided that weight loss WOULD NOT be a New Year's Resolution this year. Nor are any of my other typical goals including making more money, acquiring more stuff, buying more expensive things, and all the rest of the things we believe we need to fit into society. To look and be "normal" to our peers...whoever the hell they are!
Bottom line in all this "stuff" we all want to have, acquire, attain, gain access to, and get is to BE HAPPY. Right? Isn't that what we're all seeking? Yet somehow we equate happiness with getting all this stuff. Unfortunately, when we get it, it just makes us realize that we didn't become more happy so we up the ante with our goals and requirements for attainment.
We do this because society and the media says what we're supposed to have to be happy. So, we are acquiring, attaining, and gaining these things because savvy marketing geniuses made us believe in the deepest depths of our psychological being depends on us getting [FILL IN THE BLANK] to be happy/accepted/loved/appreciated/awesome!
And this vicious cycle goes on and on and on...maybe forever. Unless we put a stop to it. STOP THE MADNESS! Right now. TODAY!
So, as time ticked and we were moments off from ringing in the New Year, I scribbled down only ONE New Year's Resolution:
"To be happy to the deepest core of my being."
And that's it. My only goal. And I want nothing else.
But with this, I have a feeling that I'll get the rest of what I want "just 'cause" I'm happy and enjoying the journey. This is usually how the universe works, how the universe responds to us...by what we SEND OUT. Like a boomerang, it comes back.
If happiness is exuding from my being and is being sent out into the universe, I'm pretty sure I'll get happiness back in all of its earthly forms.
Or I'll just be happy.
Either way, I win.
What is YOUR New Year's Resolution for 2016?
See you at the top!
Your mentor,
Monica Main
