A New Lens on Life

I believe that the biggest obstacle I've faced in life is the way I see myself. It's kept me from pursuing my dreams, it's kept me from meeting new people, and it's made it difficult for me to be myself freely and unapologetically. I am self-conscious, I hate the way I look, I am a harsh critic of everything I do and create, and I am frequently pessimistic about my future. Therefore, in order to achieve ultimate peace and relaxation, my new years resolution for 2022 is to feel good about myself. To do this, I am going to try to learn how to love my flaws.

I once said that "flaws" don't actually exist, and I still stand by that statement. "Flaws" are defined as mistakes. Humans don’t have mistakes. Humans are part of nature, and you wouldn’t say that anything in nature is a mistake. Would you pick up a leaf and say that it is flawed? Of course not! Humans have differences, yes. But we don't have flaws. However, thanks to unrealistic beauty standards and other social norms, we've been taught to refer to our differences as flaws.

I frequently think about losing weight. It has impacted my physical and emotional health. For the past five years, I've been on the rocky path of learning to love my body. I have indeed thought of my weight as a "flaw." However, I have learned to acknowledge that I was given all of my "flaws" for a reason. Why else would they stand out to me so much? While these unique or odd-looking features make me feel uncomfortable or out-of-place, I must embrace them, as they could be a gift to me in the long run.

Since humans associate flaws with hate and we are always thinking the opposite of what is right, I've come to the conclusion that the reason we are given flaws, or at least the reason we are given the ability to perceive flaws, has to do with love.

Without our flaws, how would we ever know if love is real? Believe it or not, while love does dive deep below the surface of the body, it usually starts on the outside. Love has to do with appreciation of what’s on the inside and what’s on the outside. You can't have one or the other; you have to have both. And this isn't limited to relationships -- you can only fully love yourself if you love the way you look.

With each new day in 2022, I will try to better understand the purpose of my flaws and I will work to accept them. Furthermore, I will try to embrace them in order use them to my advantage, knowing that one day someone might love me not in spite of but because of them. And I can’t wait until that day because that's when I’ll know it’s real love. But of course, I need to achieve that love within myself first so I can better identify it when it comes from someone else.

Every part of the human body has a purpose. Even the flaws. They are almost like super powers. They help you see what is invisible -- they are the closest things we have to actually seeing love.

I've always heard the saying "let the world change you, and you can change the world" and I think my new years resolution for 2022 conveys a similar sentiment. I hope that by letting my flaws change the way I see myself, I can change my self-image all together.

I'm excited to encounter a new year not stressed about a new strict diet or exercise regime but rather focused on forming a healthy mindset that I can carry with me for the rest of my life.