The Comparison Game
- Katie Hunter
- Mar 22, 2016
- 3 min read
Can I let you in on a secret? Shhh.....come here. Did you know that people lose weight differently? Did you know that hormones are a huge factor in weight loss? Did you know that everybody has a different body type?
Ok, I know you already knew that, but for some reason, I tend to forget.
I have been working on changing some bad habits and replacing them with good ones for several weeks now. I have noticed a huge change, not only in my physical appearance, but in how I FEEL. My clothes are fitting different. I can see baby muscles beginning to form on my arms and legs. I can tell I carry myself differently and that I am not as ashamed of who I am. I am beginning to like myself again.
All of these things are awesome and wonderful, but sometimes I let the big bully "comparison" overshadow my slow, but steady, strides toward progress.
Man! It is so easy, SO EASY, to wish you looked like someone else, or had great legs like someone else, or knew how to do your hair and makeup like someone else. You can wish you sang better, or were more musical, or artistic, or domestic. You can wish your relationships were more "perfect" or that you could be on that beautiful cruise in the caribbean. You could hope to be more spiritual or funny or outgoing, but the thing is, you are YOU.
In my weeks of eating healthier and exercising every day I have lost weight and inches.....but not the same way as others. I have friends who lose a lot of weight in their abdomen region. They develop a beautiful, feminine curve to their body that I, quite honestly, envy. In my pursuit of fitness I have lost inches....but guess where! My hips, thighs and legs.
Yes, I have lost more inches in my hips and thighs alone than I have in my chest, waist and arms. For most of my life, I have resented this, thinking that the "pear" shape is much more beautiful and feminine than my "apple." I have wished that my chest were smaller so that I would look skinner on top and so I don't have cleavage, ALL THE TIME.
I have wished so many things to be different about my body, but I have noticed that the things I would change about myself others envy. Some women wish they had a fuller chest so that they could feel more feminine. Others have expressed that they wished they could have skinny legs so that they could feel good in high heels.
Things that I underappreciate about my body are things that others wish they could have, and that is where the big bully of comparison comes in, to make you feel self-conscious and to lack self-esteem. It is so silly to give into comparison, and yet so easy to fall prey. We are too hard on ourselves and I think it's really important that we try to stop.
Heavenly Father created us just the way we were meant to be. He loves us with all our self-perceived flaws. He sees the best part of us and that is something I am striving to be able to see myself. I catch glimpses of what He sees, as I do the little things that draw me closer to him: prayer, scripture study, a desire to be better, etc. I am going to be better about quieting the voice of comparison and listening to the loving words of my Father in Heaven telling me that I am good enough and that He loves me no matter what!
I loved the message of this video and hope you enjoy it as well!
