Have you asked yourself this question? Have others said it to you? Have you assumed others thought that about you?
Well, I have! And it is something that I have been dealing with in my own head over this past year.
On November 30, 2020, I decided to take personal accountability of my health and happiness. To be honest, I felt like I needed a total revamp of me. It started with a simple desire to get to a healthy weight. Simple, not, but I was ready. It was like a switch flipped in my mind and said no more. No more procrastination, no more excuses, no more embarrassment!
For accountability, I started living out loud on social media and sharing my story of transformation. We are not supposed to share “the ugly,” right? We are supposed to project to the world that all is well and perfect, right? My “before” pictures were not a vision of health and happiness! However, I believed that if I put myself out there and share my journey, I would be too embarrassed to go back to the unhealthy me! And I might give hope and inspiration to some
The funny thing about this was the reaction from people around me to what I was sharing. People said to me “Aren’t you embarrassed to share you before photos?” or they would say “Oh man, don’t share that photo with anyone, can you believe you looked like that?” or “Aren’t you embarrassed that you let yourself go?”
I can tell you when I first got the question it HURT! Now it absolutely makes me laugh out loud! Did people not see what I looked like before? Or was it simply that they forgot what I looked like all these years? Was I embarrassed? These pictures were simply a snapshot of the real me and what I looked like for so long!
The embarrassment continued when I made a bold shift in my career and decided to become a health coach for this amazing program that had helped to transform my life. What would people think of this successful, corporate executive who had decided on this new path? Would they feel sorry for me or even embarrassed for me? Would they say poor Stacy, look at her now? Again, was I embarrassed?
It has taken some time, but I can now proudly say that I have NOTHING to be embarrassed about! I love the girl in the “before” photos, I love the girl that has chosen to forge a new path in life, I love the girl who has become focused on health and happiness and is choosing to help others too! The greatest fan of my current self is my past self!!
No one should ever be embarrassed about where they have come from, embrace it! You can only be embarrassed if you are in a place where you desire change and you do nothing about it! The “before” you is who has and can help mold you into greatness today!
Simply stop being embarrassed, stop hiding and start living the life you were meant to!
What are you embarrassed about? Is this embarrassment holding you back? What could it mean to you and your happiness if you let it go?
“The greatest fan of my current self is my past self!!“ and “The “before” you is who has and can help mold you into greatness today!“ ~ you are so wise. Love this!!
Amazing job! You’re an inspiration and so proud of you for putting yourself out there. It’s when we stop worrying about others and take control that true healing is going on. We’re all on the journey together and that’s the way it should be. Keep it up.