LOVING AND ACCEPTING YOURSELF IS WHERE YOUR TRUE POWER LIES

It was the year 2016. I posted a photo of myself on social media, a photo that I liked. I loved the determined look in my eyes, my posture, the dress I was wearing. I had even nailed my make-up. All in all, I thought I looked amazing!

I had picked up a few followers from sharing my fitness journey and soon enough, I got a private message from one of them. This is what she said:

“You really should do something about those dark circles around your eyes”. She went on to explain that she and my other followers saw me as a role model so I should be posting photos of myself where I look good and not tired because of the dark circles. Truth be told, I used to feel self-conscious because of my dark circles, I tried many remedies but nothing worked for me so I actually stopped trying to do anything about them and accepted them for what they are - a mark of a hard working woman, wife and mother.

As for the follower, I could have gone into a lengthy explanation of how I love and accept myself as I am, dark circles and all. Of how I embrace the way I look and focus on the good things. Instead, I responded with, “What do you want me to do? Turn them into squares?”

Here’s the deal: when you embrace what you previously perceived as flaws about yourself, those flaws no longer have any power over you. In the same light, anyone who tries to use these flaws against you, has no power over you.

You get to choose what has power over you.