Everyday we are faced with other people’s images of perfection. You have to dress like this, act like that and look like so and so. Nobody who tells you you are fantastic the way you are.
A great example of self-sabotage is Madame Bovary. She had everything she could wish for: a loving and devoted husband, beautiful children, an amazing house, respect and a family dat sincerely loved her.
When she was younger she went to a fancy party at a count’s house. It was such an amazing evening that after that night she compared everything in her life to that one evening. But nothing seemed to come close. She cheated on her husband and ran her family into huge debt. She did everything to fill that void in her life, but nothing helped. Towards the end she ruins herself and her family, simply because nothing was ever good enough for her.

We do the same thing to ourselves when we think negative, when we want more material things or when we try to be somebody we are not. We see perfection when we watch TV or when we read magazines: the perfect romance, the ideal lover, a world filled with beautiful people.

Many of us don’t realize that this is fiction. We have to love ourselves the way we are en enjoy the good things that already are in our lives. That is reality and the only way how we can learn to love ourselves.

Below you’ll find some examples of how you might compare yourself others:

YOUR BODY
According to TV and magazines everybody is beautiful. But that’s an illusion. Don’t compare yourself with edited(!) images of others.
Your personal beauty comes from within. Write down a couple of things you like about your body. If you are overweight and not happy about that, act on it. Love yourself, exercise more and eat healthier. If you love yourself you’ll find the motivation to achieve your goal!

YOUR CAREER
Are you stuck in a boring job? Get a new one. If your job influences your physical health in a negative way, get a new one. If you don’t this negativity will spread to other areas in your life!

YOUR POSSESSIONS
We live in a society where whoever has the most toys seems to be the winner. We seem to want more and more material things, but do we really need them? Happiness doesn’t come from things. It’s OK to want a new dress or a fast car, as long as you realise they won’t make you happy. Only you can!

YOUR PAST
Your past is no more than that … your past. You can’t change it, you can only learn from it. Don’t miss out on great opportunities just because of things that happened in the past. Don’t risk your future. Learn from your mistakes and you will grow!

LOVE YOURSELF
Love who you are. Everybody is supposed to be different and unique, that’s what makes you special. Talk to friends or family. They can help look at you the way others look at you. They can tell you why they love you and why you should love yourself.