#killcomparison

Have you ever had an insecurity? Seems crazy to even ask that question, because every time I do, the answer is never no. It makes me sad, actually, to watch friends and family members constantly pick themselves apart for things that I and the rest of the world don't even see! Did you know that you actually don't see insecurities in yourself unless you are comparing? You don't believe you need to be thinner until you see someone else thinner than you. You don't believe your hair needs to be longer or a different color until you see someone else that has hair different from yours. What am I trying to say here? That we don't realize something is "wrong" with us until we see something we think is "right" about someone else! We actually even compare ourselves today to our old selves yesterday.

I am in the beauty industry, where products promise to grow your hair longer and thicker, grow your lashes, plump your lips, make you thinner, look younger, have less cellulite and overall change your look for the "better". Every day my bathroom counter reminds me that I'm not pretty, as my products scream, "You can look better," at me. My good friend Emily Lambert recently brought something interesting to my attention. "The moment we are born, we are immediately placed on a scale and compared to every other baby in the world." Comparison enters are life the MOMENT we are born! I think, as women especially, that comparison is carried through out our lives and we don't even realize it. We learn to stop loving who we are and what we look like and instead we strive to be more like "her". I really want to learn to completely love who I am, inside and out. How am I going to do that? Is it even possible in our society today?

I should be able to look in the mirror first thing in the morning and not see flaws, but instead be completely in love with who I am and what I have. We are being robbed on a daily basis of enjoying who we are. I am talking about outward insecurities here, but I promise you, it affects you inwardly. If you believe you are valuable, then you know the choices you make actually make a difference in the world, because they do!!! If you don't believe you are valuable, then you really don't care day to day. Most people who don't feel valuable, lack drive and motivation. We can't afford to loose you to insecurities! You are way too important to our world today to be lost in comparison!

I have battled health problems for a few years and its stolen my thick, long hair, my plump beautiful skin and my thin waistline. I have tried to mask and cover up the fact that my body has totally changed from what is was instead of loving it for what it is today. I am still hopeful that I can be the best version of myself health wise, but what happens when I get older and I can't go back? If we can teach ourselves to be content in who we are today and also what we look like, the aging process is going to be a much easier!

So I am starting a challenge! A #KillComparison challenge. I am personally making a commitment to myself to pick 5 insecurities and work on them for 1 month. No more saying, "I will love myself when........I lose 10 pounds, get my hair done, get lip injections, get a nose job." I will love myself TODAY. Right now, just as I am. Here are my 5 steps to kill comparison forever.

1. Speak the opposite of what you feel about yourself.

Don't like your nose? Tell yourself in the mirror that you love it! Not crazy about your hair? Flip it around couple times, run your fingers through it and tell yourself how amazing it is! Have a mole or age spot you dislike? Look at it in the mirror and tell yourself how happy you are that it's a part of your body. It takes our brain 28 days to create a habit. Create a habit of loving your insecurities.

2. Take care of you!

Whatever this may look like for you, take care of yourself! We tend to take care of ourselves the least of anyone. Do you love getting all dolled up? Do it! Does it make you feel amazing when you take a bubble bath? Start running that water! Do you feel better when you eat healthy, whole foods? Get your butt to the grocery store and start finding inspiring recipies. Does exercising help you feel better (kind of a trick question because it makes everyone feel better) go for it! But don't set a high, unattainable goal. Do it at your pace and don't do it to loose weight so you can look more like so and so, do it to be the best version of you!

3. Take Pictures!

I think its important to document everything I do that will shift my life in anyway. I am, surprisingly, not one to journal everyday. I am going to take a picture everyday of myself that makes me feel pretty. Weather thats in my favorite outfit, wearing make up, no makeup, in my favorite coffee shop. Whatever makes me feel good about myself. Why is this important? Because we need to start seeing ourselves for who we really are! A constant reminder of how beautiful we are will help to start opening our eyes to our true beauty. If you want to post your pictures, use #killcomparison so we can do this together and encourage others as well!

4. De-Stress Your Life

Stress is a silent killer to our body, soul and minds. It has reeked havoc on me, but thats only because I allowed it to! When we are stressed out, even just a little, our body responds in a negative way. Not only does it make our minds go to a back place, but also our health! I don't know about you, but when mind and body are unhealthy, I start looking like I feel. Then, because I start to notice how awful I am looking, my self esteem gets lower and lower. Don't let stress take over! Take the time every day to de-stress. There are tons of things you can do from meditation to listening to your favorite music. Take a long walk or go for a quiet drive. Something that I always do; Laughter is the one thing that pulls me right out of stress and chaos. I will often put on a movie that makes me laugh or be around people who make me laugh. Do what works for you as long as you are de-stressing your life!

5. Stop Comparing

Seems easy enough right? I have been trying to be more aware of the thoughts that run through my head on a daily basis. It seems that I have a lot of negative thoughts that I didn't even realize were in there! One of the biggest things I am doing, is when I find myself comparing, weather its to another mom or looks or anything else, I tell myself something I love about who I am. This may seem silly, but I truly believe if we can start training our brains to think about how amazing we are, every time it wants to think about how someone is better, it will have no choice but to change! The world sees you so differently than you think!

Want to be unstoppable? Have a career that demands you have confidence? Or maybe you are like me and you crave authenticity from people. The best way to lead by example, is to actually become the good example first and let it authentically infect the world around you. Can't wait to see what you will do!

xoxo

Jenna