Sisterhood

I posted this on WW's Connect yesterday after a thought provoking interaction with someone on the site.

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This post is for anyone who has struggled with comparisons.  

In truth I think all of us struggle with this, male & female alike but historically it seems women have been scrutinized in such a way that it's created a culture of competition between women.  

Working through my feelings of "not enough" have been paramount to my weight loss & transformation. 

These are some of the tools I use to combat shrinking & feeling inferior~

Step 1 is catching yourself in the act & like everything else it takes practice.  

You start to feel yourself shrink & hide & you become conscious that it's happening.  

My Step 2 I got from John Gray.  He says after you catch yourself you mentally say "That's for me!".  You're acknowledging that this is something you want & it gives you something to work on.  

Step 3 I start shifting into a place of appreciation.  It might be that the person I'm seeing has more muscle or is thinner or is very fashionable but I start intentionally pulling out the details of what I like about what I see.  Appreciation feels way better & is way different than scrutiny.  

Step 4 I realize that I also have the capacity to embody those characteristics that I admire.  

Step 5 If I'm feeling courageous I may even approach that person & pay her an honest compliment & ask how they achieved that state.  They are now helping to mentor me instead of compete.  

You also start to realize that even people who look to us like they have it all are still self conscious.  

Step 6 I try not to judge their answer but rather to approach it with a "beginner's mind".  In other words if you think you already know everything it's really hard to learn anything.  

While I don't consider myself religious I do believe myself to be Spiritual.  

So Step 7 is for me to remember that everyone was created on purpose with purpose AND we don't all have the same purpose.  Thank God!

Diversity is a Gift!  So at this point I'm remembering that that person's Divine expression may just be my answered prayer but if I'm not open to it I might miss the gift.  

What if the very person you feel less than around is actualized here & now to help you?

What if we can Bless each other just by showing up & being open?

I long for the day women can find sisterhood in place of competition because the truth is we all just want to be loved & know we're enough ❤️

Blessings,

Carrie