Midway through Bikram yoga class Saturday afternoon, after the instructor lost her balance for a second or two while attempting to do "tree," she chuckled and said something that struck a chord:
"Sometimes when we fall out, we have to remind ourselves to let go of our inner critic."
Wow, ain't that the truth!?!
We really beat ourselves up sometimes, even hate ourselves, when the biggest step we could ever take toward being "more Badass" is to love ourselves -- flaws and all. I firmly believe that once we stop beating ourselves up, we can believe in ourselves enough to build ourselves up. Once we stop holding ourselves to an impossible standard, we can reach higher heights than we ever thought possible.
We can stop indulging our self-loathing in food or alcohol or couch potato syndrome, and we can love ourselves enough to want to make our WHOLE selves better. Stronger. Fitter. Healthier. Happier.
I have gone through many of those self-loathing moments, and they stink. I truly believe we are all better and stronger than our greatest insecurities. And it's the moment at which we start to live that belief, when amazing things start to happen - physically, spiritually, mentally, socially.
If you think this sounds cheesy, just consider a few recent examples right here in this blog. Ryan, the mom who started running when she decided that she needed to love herself as much as she loves her little boy, is down 30 pounds -- and has more energy than ever to give to him and her husband. She is stomping that inner critic, one mile at a time.
Chris's knee surgeries have put a crimp in his #360to30 plans, but instead of beating himself up about the hurdle, he is focusing on weight training for upper body strength. He is pumping out that inner critic, one shoulder press at a time.
My dear friend Jenn, aka "The Original Badass," criticized herself every time she went to pick up her boys from school and waited in line with the "skinny Moms." She beat herself up plenty every afternoon, only to keep the cycle of inner critic going by continuing to eat poorly and not exercise until she reached 180 pounds. And then, finally, she kicked that inner critic to the curb and decided it was time to love herself - and treat her body accordingly. Today she (pictured with me, at right) is more than 60 pounds lighter and setting an example for her family, all of whom now exercise more and eat better.
I got an e-mail recently from a reader who admitted it is too hard to even see Facebook pictures of herself, because she has come to so dislike the person she sees. Her inner critic had made her depressed, reluctant to do social activities. I read her e-mail and cried, because the pain was so evident in the words.
But I also cried happy tears - because she has decided she is sick of this inner critic, and she is starting to believe in herself enough to make changes. She has a "goal" event coming up in less than a year, and she loves herself enough to muzzle that critical voice in her head saying, "You can't. Don't even bother."
Instead, she is at that pivotal moment when she sees two paths: The intersection of inner critic and self loathing, or the highway that leads to her full Badass potential. She is heading down the highway.
As we start a new week, my challenge to each of you is this: Tell that inner critic to stick it. And love yourself enough to take care of yourself. Your body is a temple. Respect it. Keep it strong.
Here's to a strong week ahead!
Coming up: Badass CEO's Fall 2012 Favorites!
