Why Image?

Why are we so fixated on image in today’s society? When did our personal connection to our own selves shift so incredibly much that it’s no longer about how we feel about ourselves – mentally, emotionally and physically – but rather needing to meet the “image” of other people? I recently overheard a conversation at the gym which sparked a fire inside of me. So much for the workout I just did that left me on a high, increasing my feel-good hormones to set me on track for the rest of the day. I could feel my body tense up after hearing this conversation between a personal trainer and a new client of “who she wanted to aspire to look like”. J-Lo was the answer. And heck yah, J-Lo works very hard to be who SHE wants to be. But why can we not just be O.K. with ourselves and how we feel, and the image of who we want to be? Now, if the conversation I overheard changed from here to inquire with the client about her own image, and feeling her best self, I would have calmed down, but sadly it did not. We have these images in every place of society, so of course we are going to see them. But educating individuals on the importance of feeling their best self with their best health is the direction we need to take when talking about “how other people appear”.

Yes, we have images in our head, and obviously, as much as social media is in our lives and moving this world forward, it seems to be creating this false hope for some. And well, I would be a huge hypocrite if I didn’t say it used to do this to me. I guess I just naively thought we were moving away from this.

And in the same regard we need image, or rather, we need vision. We need to be able to manifest where we want to be or what we want to do, also known as setting goals. Sometimes it doesn’t mean you’ll know how the path will pan out to get there, but it does mean we have to believe in ourselves and in our life to acknowledge where we see ourselves, putting the work in that is necessary to reach those goals. Shifting our “image” to getting there with a healthy mind and body is so much more powerful compared to focusing on “looking” a certain way when we get there.

So be You. Don’t be J-Lo – she’s taken! Don’t be the guy lifting the heavy weights in the gym – be You. Motivated by these people to help push you towards your goals….absolutely! But put Your Image of Your Healthy in Your Mind in order to get there!