Image is Nothing

For the love of all that is you, don't ever compare yourself to anyone else.  We've all heard we should never compare ourselves to the models in magazines or on TV.  Yes, some eat well and exercise regularly and others may be born lucky, but they are also photographed and touched up in ways that are meant to be pleasing to our eyes.  It's marketing and it sells products.  We owe some of this burden to the cuts of childhood where particular situations taught us to compare ourselves
to other people.  Over time, these old wounds have scarred over into supposed fact--rules by which our subconscious governs our supposed aesthetic worth.  As such, the vision of our true selves is skewed.

    'His chest is bigger than mine' or  'Her tummy is so toned; I wish I had a tummy like that' are negative thoughts built on those old feelings of inadequacy.  This is damaging to our psyche and often makes us feel as if we have no chance of ever achieving the body we want.  Everyone's body is different, so having a vision that some part of your body will look like what you see in print or on screen, is unrealistic.  Never aim for results that aren't based on the motivation to be better than yourself. Your abs, arms, or thighs may not look exactly like the image you have in your head, but that's fine; they will be your chiselled abs, impressive arms, or truly toned thighs that are unique to you.

    Here's the catch-22: the more we exercise the better we feel; the better we feel, the more effective our exercise becomes.  The trick is catching a wave in that maelstrom of energy and letting it carry us along.  If we focus on perfection, we become miserable when the results take us elsewhere.  We need to be happy with what we are given, confident in what we are now, and excited about where we are headed.  There's no such thing as 'perfect' anyway.  It's an unattainable idea similar to the way 'infinity' is an idea: Though we count on it, we never get there. There is, however, the best possible 'you' trying to come to the surface of that swirling vortex, and it's time to get wet.